


Would You Be So Kind?

by theexplorerofpossibility



Series: Peter Parker's Playlist [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Adrenaline Firting, Aged-Up Character(s), Aged-Up Peter Parker, Awkward Peter Parker, Bisexual Eddie Brock, Bisexual Peter Parker, Eddie "Hottie" Brock, Eddie Brock is a mess, Eddie Brock is gorgeous, Eventual Smut, Flirting, Flirting during danger, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Human Disaster Eddie Brock, Human Disaster Peter Parker, M/M, MJ is a walking mystery, Maybe a little bit of small sexiness, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Peter Parker is a Mess, Peter Parker is a dork, Peter Parker is sexually frustrated, Peter Parker needs to get his head out of the clouds and just ask him out, Pining, Pining Peter Parker, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Sexual Tension, Slightly de-aged character, Slow Burn, Teasing Peter Parker is a favorite past time, just a little bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2019-10-15 14:33:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17530529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theexplorerofpossibility/pseuds/theexplorerofpossibility
Summary: Peter was perfectly happy with his life as a college student at Empire State University and as New York's friendly neighbourhood Spider-man. Sure the closest thing he had to a romantic relationship was back when he was still in high school. And his last sexual encounter left him with more nightmares than good memories. But he still had his friends, the Avengers, and Aunt May. He had more than enough love from his family.Until he meets Eddie. All it took was for him to look into the man's dark blue eyes for Peter to know that he was royally screwed.Peter develops a crush for a certain investigative journalist. And he hopes for the best that it doesn't blow up in his face. But knowing his luck, it was bound to happen anyway. At least Eddie Brock was hot.





	1. Knight in shining denim

**Author's Note:**

> HEY Y'ALL!!! Welcome to my story!!! This is gonna be the rundown of the things you should know about this fic:
> 
> 1\. Eddie is only 10 to 15 years older than Peter and Peter is now age 22 here (for obvious reasons)  
> 2\. We are gonna pretend that Infinity War never happened, that Sony's Extended Spider-man Universe co-existed with the MCU  
> 3\. This is gonna be part of a series/collection of stories I write that were partially or majorly inspired by songs that center around Peter Parker. Keep you eyes peeled for more!  
> 4\. This is multi-chapter but I'm gonna be posting this bit of the story first.
> 
> Enjoy!!

As Spider-man, being the hero of New York and what not, Peter was used to being in dangerous situations. From having buildings collapsing on him, crazy alien space ship attacks, to dangerous criminals trying to kill him, he had seen enough danger to not flinch even if a gun was pointed at him. Plus, working part-time as an Avenger made danger a normal part of his life.

That being said, he had yet to develop a proper sense of self-preservation. Because apparently he thought it was a good idea to grab a bite at 1:00 am, all alone, without his phone while also deciding that taking the dark back alleys would be a faster way to get back to his dorm.

Which was how Peter found himself now.

“Give me your money!”

 His back to an alley wall, some asshole asking for his wallet and a gun in his face. What a wonderful way to end the night. Although in his defense, he completely forgot how dangerous the place was because he’d been busy with university. And he was Spider-man. So yeah, sue him.

In fact, where most people would be scared with the idea of being robbed, he was just annoyed at the guy for ruining his perfectly peaceful evening Happy Meal run. He had a deliciously warm burger and crispy fries that needed to be consumed before they got cold.  He groaned loudly, rolling his eyes.

“Come on dude, seriously? I just finished cramming for a paper. I do not need this right now.” He replied to the man with a gun pointed at him (see: no self-preservation).

Before the guy could wonder if the kid had a death wish, he was knocked unconscious by a sudden hit to the head. Peter stared at the now unconscious man before looking towards his would-be savior. Just a few feet in front of him was a silhouette of a man holding what looked like a bag of groceries in one hand and a pipe in the other. As he stepped closer to the light of a nearby street lamp, he got to see more of the man’s profile.

Peter could feel a warm blush cover his face once he could see him entirely. A tight black shirt with a denim jacket covering broad shoulders and a well built chest. Thick legs wearing ripped jeans and dark leather boots. A chiseled face covered with stubble. Thick brown hair cropped short. Intense, dark brooding eyes with thick eyebrows.

He was hot. He was really really hot. And totally Peter’s type.

Dropping the metal pipe and the groceries, the man approached him slowly, probably trying not to spook him. Not that he could with how busy Peter was with ogling the very attractive man in front of him and his chest that looked really firm because damn, the shirt wasn’t leaving anything to the imagination-

“Hey are you okay?” The man asked, and God help him because his voice was _deep._ And sexy. Very sexy. A mix of gruff and husky that, instead of being scary, just made him flush harder.

 _Peter Parker, now is not the time to be fantasizing about some stranger who saved you._  

It was admittedly difficult not to though. Not when said stranger giving him a soft and concerned gaze with those eyes of his. He gently placed his hand on Peter’s shoulder which sent shivers down his spine and he was hot all over again but wasn’t it like night time in autumn? Why was he suddenly sweating like crazy?

“Look, everything is fine now, you don’t have to be scared. I won’t hurt you.”

Peter’s brain took its sweet time processing- _goddammit stop being gorgeous Mr. Hottie!_ -and it took him a few tries to answer because his mouth decided it was a great time to act like gaping fish and a broken record.

“I-,” his voice suddenly squeaked like he was going through puberty again. Peter cleared his throat. “I’m fine,” he finally stuttered out. Wow nice going Parker, really smooth.

The other man looked at him carefully, before finally backing off to give him space. The hand left his shoulder and he suddenly missed the warmth, barely stopping himself from following.

“Are you sure you’re ok? We can go to the police if you want? There’s a nearby station.” He asked, already bringing him out of the alley, but Peter shook his head. He was fine, he could handle himself. The mugger was deep in the alley, unconscious, while they were out in the open street where it was safer.

Besides, he went out in nothing but his Empire State University hoodie and _Avengers pajamas_ while the man in front him looked like he came from a photo shoot. Talking to police while looking like this was not how he wanted to end the night.

“I’m alright. You don’t have to worry about me. Thanks for saving my life by the way.” He smiled although he was feeling a little embarrassed at the idea that _Spider-man_ had to be rescued from a mugger. It was usually the other way around, so it was kind of weird to be on the other end of that experience.

“Well your choice,” he shrugged. “Still what are you doing outside in the middle of the night?”

Peter sheepishly brought up his Happy Meal box. The other man just cocked an eyebrow.

“Pretty sure that it’s past your bed time kid. Don’t you have school tomorrow?”

“College doesn’t allow for the most stable of sleep schedules.”

“College? You look like you’re barely out of high school.”

Peter flushed in embarrassment. Not this again. He did not need another reminder of how baby faced he is. Or that people kept mistaking his voice for an 8-year-old girl.

“I’m 22 you know,” he told him, almost pouting. He just smirked in reply.

“Could have fooled me with the Happy Meal and the pajamas.”

Peter gave a sound of protest. He liked these pajamas, thank you very much. They were his first purchase when he finally managed to sell his Spider-man photos so he wasn’t going to let this insult stand.

“I’ll have you know that these pajamas are very comfy and I can buy a bottle of alcohol without cashiers asking for my ID.” He crossed his arms and tried to glare at him to show he was serious. It didn’t work.

The guy had the gall to laugh, “Now I know you’re a kid. No sane college student calls it a ‘bottle of alcohol’,” he replied while making air quotes.

Ok, Mr. Hottie was turning out to be a jerk. Time to leave.

“Well excuse me for being young looking.” Peter wanted to turn his head but realized that would just make him look bratty and even more like a kid. “Now if you don’t mind, I have a burger that’s getting cold. So, thanks for saving my life and all.”

The benefit of getting slightly annoyed at Mr. Hottie is that he could finally turn away and not get distracted by the amazing specimen of masculinity- _stop it brain!_

“Hey wait.” Before he could leave, the guy grabbed his arm.

“Look, I’m sorry for calling you a kid. Didn’t mean to offend you.” Mr. Hottie gave him an apologetic smile and damn Peter couldn’t stay angry when he looked so cute. Stupid sexually deprived brain.

“Apology accepted,” he told him with a smile. He gave a smile back.

“The name’s Eddie by the way.”

“Oh, so we’re at names now?” Peter quirked an eyebrow, “You take things pretty fast Eddie.”

“Actually I’m just polite with the damsels-in-distress I rescue. Chivalry and all that”

“My hero! It’s nice to know I’m being treated like a princess.” He suddenly gave a version of a curtsy, a very awkward pajama curtsy that made Eddie laugh.

“I can see you rocking a corset to be honest,” he said smiling.

Peter laughed loudly at this. He was also told that if he wasn’t so muscular he would be very androgynous looking. So he knew he could totally rock a corset. And a full on dress. This thought gave him an idea.

Giving his attempt at a sexy smirk, Peter tilted his head and stepped closer to Eddie. Keeping himself a foot away, he leaned into the other’s space and seductively placed his hand on Eddie’s chest

“Oh, you wanna see me in a corset? Sounds kinda kinky.” Peter had no idea where he suddenly got the bravery to flirt but it was worth it for Eddie’s reaction. He saw Eddie’s eyes widen before chuckling.

“You almost got mugged and you’re suddenly flirting with me? Now THAT’s kinky.”

Peter placed a hand on his heart, like he was insulted by the insinuation and not thoroughly enjoying it, “We’re not flirting. We’re just talking.”

“Says the guy who wanted to play with corsets.”

“You were the one who wanted it.”

“So you’re gonna do it then? Wear a corset for me?” Eddie took a slow step closer as he said this, their chests almost touching. Peter could feel the other’s warmth through the small distance between them.  He suddenly lost the bravado he had and went back to being an awkward mess. He blushed furiously at the seductive lopsided smile Eddie gave him. The way he asked, with that husky tone of his, sent a shiver of pleasure through Peter’s spine.

He felt himself take step back. Eddie kept on walking closer. A few more steps and his back was once again on a brick wall, only for a different reason. Eddie was slow to follow, probably giving him to change his mind. Or maybe being slow and sexy was just natural to him. Either way, Peter didn’t want to go. He let himself be led to this. He let Eddie get closer and closer, until one of his arms was resting beside Peter’s head and he was just a hair’s breadth away from him.

Eddie towered over him, and Peter had to raise his head just to look at his face. He was silhouetted by the street lamp above them, making his features look sharper, more chiseled. His eyes, slightly hidden in the shadows of his face, still managed to give off that intensity that made Peter want to squirm in a good way. Like nothing could take his eyes of you. Like you were the only thing he could see. Like you were the only thing that mattered.

“You never answered my question.” His gaze kept Peter’s words stuck in his throat. How could he answer when dark intense eyes left him like a man thirsting for their impossible blue. Made him almost want to sink into their depths. To get lost in the ocean and never resurface.

Peter took his time but managed to answer him.

“I could, if you asked nicely.”

Eddie suddenly got even closer, the distance between their bodies gone. Both of Eddie’s hands were on the wall, essentially caging Peter in. Peter didn’t feel trapped though. No, he actually felt desire curl into him. Knowing he had him here, hands so close that he could almost touch him, and that they both wanted it. A sense of anticipation was in the air, electricity that threatened to spark something that could easily go out of control. But something told Peter that was the very thing they both wanted to happen. With Eddie this close, Peter could see the color of Eddie’s lips, pink and luscious even in the dark of the night. If he leaned in slightly, he would be able to kiss him. Find out what Eddie would taste like.

“What’s your name.” The question was barely a whisper, breath between open lips that were so achingly close they almost touched. Peter opened his eyes, never noticing that they had closed to begin with. Looking into Eddie's eyes, he gave him an answer.

“My name is Pe-“

Or tried to.

Because the moment he was about to utter his name, a loud groan came from the dark alley. This was all it took to break the spell that had fallen between them. Both of them jumped away from each other, blushing furiously. Peter took in large breaths, his heart going a mile a minute even though he never moved. He noticed that he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t unbothered. Eddie’s face had a warm flush, his breath coming out in large puffs too, and was keeping his gaze on the ground.

They stared at each other for a moment before another groan from the alley sprung them to action.

“So… I think I should go?” Peter told Eddie, voice almost like a question if he should even go at all. The other just nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. This weirdly shy Eddie brought a smile to Peter’s face.

“You sure you’re gonna be ok?” Eddie asked him. Peter reassured him that he was fine and turned to walk away. He let out a mental groan of frustration. He made a face, annoyed that what they had got interrupted. He should have just gone for the kiss, but he was too busy being mesmerized by the other man’s eyes.

Stupid pretty boy being pretty.

He sighed loudly, fully ready to just sleep and ignore the problem down south that had grown during the…thing that just happened between them. But a he suddenly remembered something that had him quickly turning back, and calling for Eddie.

The other had already turned to his phone by then, probably calling the police about the guy. At the sound of his name, Eddie looked up and saw him walk back.

“My name is Peter by the way.”

Eddie looked at him in with wide eyes, before quickly composing himself.

“Peter,” Eddie tested the name on his tongue and Peter liked how he made it sound so enticing, “nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too Eddie.” Peter gave himself a mental pat on the back when he managed to not stumble on his name.

“So… I guess I’ll see you around?” He had a small smile that looked at him hopefully. He smiled back at him, a bit awkward but genuine.

“Ye-yeah. Yeah. We’ll see each other around.”

With that, Peter finally turned away and walked back to his dorm.

It took him the middle of reheating his food to realize that he never even gave his number.

"Goddamit!"

 

* * *

 

 

Eddie watched the brunet walk away. A small sigh escaped his lips as he thought of how close he was to kissing him. Those pink lips of his were so enticing that when Eddie was close enough, he almost lost his self-control, wanting to just ravage the kid.

Young adult. He wasn’t a kid. He was a 22 years-old college student who only looked like a high schooler. Thank God for small miracles, like finding out the cute kid he rescued was a perfectly legal adult who also shared a mutual sexual interest. He did not need pedophilia and statutory rape on top of the other cases they could file against him.

“Urghh, where am I?”

Of course, it all depended on whether they found the evidence to file them. Which usually wasn’t since Venom was very efficient. Speaking of which.

He felt him materialize on his shoulder, a black flowing mass of muscle and liquid and organism creating a monstrous face with large teeth and a long serpentine tongue. To most people, Venom looked like a monster from a nightmare. To Eddie, it was the face that he loved.

“ **Finally, I’ve been starving Eddie** ,” said Venom in his growling voice. He looked towards Eddie in what he could assume was a face showing his upset. But having huge blank whites for eyes and a face that was permanently etched into a smile made interpreting impressions difficult sometimes. Eddie felt a bit bad though, that he forgot to find him food. But in his defense, he was preoccupied by a certain brunet.

_Peter_

The name was so short and simple, something that suited the kid. He was awkward, always stuttering, always blushing, yet there was a playfulness that bellied the shy exterior. It made him so irresistible. The way he flirted with him, trying for a seductive smirk that looked too adorable to actually be sexy. The minty scent of his shampoo that he could smell the moment they got closer. The warmth of his hand on his chest. That small stature, those big brown doe eyes, that cute smile.

_His breath coming in small gasps, the white column of his neck, the taste of his mouth, the warmth of  his insides as he pounded into-_

“Venom! What the hell?” He shook his head to rid the images and scolded his alien companion. The other just gave an unapologetic smile.

“ **Don’t lie Eddie, you know you wanted him. You were half way to ravaging him then.** ”

Venom had a point. That didn’t mean he could bombard his thoughts with lascivious images (although he could appreciate them later when they were alone in the comfort of their home).

“Don’t you want to eat your dinner first?” He told the symbiote. Venom took this chance to move them away from the light and into the shadows of the alley. There, they saw the mugger slowly awaken.

He wouldn’t be for long though.

In an instant, Eddie Brock was gone and Venom stood in his place. The mugger only had a moment to scream before Venom’s jaws bit off his head.

It took Venom finishing his meal and the two of them finally reaching their apartment for Eddie to realize something important.

“Goddamit, I didn’t give him my number!”


	2. Rescue is part of the job description

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome to the second chapter of what I originally envisioned as a one shot. I was just planning on making one straight story with no chapters, but I hit a writer's block and was too excited so I posted the first part anyways. Now my brain is adjusting to making this a multi-chapter fic. (disclaimer: this story is not in any way straight and is gonna be full on GAY)
> 
> BTW, I wanna give a big shout out to all the people who read, commented, and left a kudos on this story and my other story "How Far DOes the Dark Go". I just wanna say thank you so much for your support! I'm still working on the other story but it might take some time. Mostly because stupid rom coms are much easier on the soul than angst. 
> 
> Update: I forgot to mention it earlier, but in this story MJ already knows that Peter is Spider-man and has accepted that fact for sometime now. 
> 
> And without further ado, enjoy!

_The boy moaned loudly as hands grasped his hips in a bruising grip. He looked towards the larger man, all naked muscle before him and eyes filled with lust, before capturing his lips in a searing kiss. The other growled into his lips and moved his hands underneath the thin cotton shirt to tweak his nipples. This caused his back to arch, grinding his hips into the other, desperate to have more contact between them. He pulled back to stare into the deep blue eyes of the older man gazing at him with a primal hunger, making him shiver with desire. He gave one more open mouthed kiss before bringing his young lips to the other’s ear._

_“Take me daddy.”_

 

“Ugh, even I can act better than this,” Peter remarked as he closed the incognito window on his browser. Putting away his laptop and earphones, he grabbed his phone from his dresser before burying himself in the mounds of pillows and blankets of his bed.

It had been two days since he last saw Eddie (aka Mr. Hottie). Two days since he was rescued by him. Two days of Peter mentally kicking himself because a very attractive guy showed an interest in Peter, while he was wearing pajamas he might add, and Peter forgot to ask for his number, therefore making it impossible for them to meet ever again. And people actually called him smart.

The worst part was that Eddie was always on his mind. Whether he was in class, doing homework, or out in patrol, the only thing he could think about was how small he felt when he looked up at Eddie, how hungry his gaze was as he stared Peter down, the way the deep growl of his voice made heat pool in Peter’s belly. His distracted thoughts kept making him clumsy, much to the ire of everyone involved. Which is why he thought that finally jerking off one would finally solve his problem.

Except that it wasn’t working. Pleasuring himself to the thoughts of Eddie just kept him on his mind more. He had been trying to watch porn as a way to associate his lust with something other than Eddie, but every piece of porn he had watched left him flaccid and uninterested. Nothing seemed to reach the standard that he now had in his mind. And now he was left a moping and unfulfilled mess.

"Still busy sulking loser?"

Peter looked up from where he was lying to the girl leaning on his doorway, before promptly returning to the thick warmth of his bed. MJ and Ned, his closest friends since high school and the only other people who knew of his double identity, were now his college roommates. Since they were studying in the same school, they decided to live in the same apartment because it was easier for his fellow wallflowers to be together than be forced to deal with strangers. But since they were his roommates, they were also the ones that saw him come home red as a tomato and trying his best to hide a tent in his pants. Both were unimpressed when they learned about Eddie, with one questioning his sanity while the other scolding him for supporting a fast food conglomerate rather than a nearby local business.

He buried himself in his pillows, keeping a thick blanket wrapped around him, ignoring her question. He was trying to do his best impression of a burrito. A sad, frustrated burrito that should have kissed the very nice hunk that saved his life.

He could still feel eyes on him, so he peeked out of his blanket burrito to see MJ giving him a flat stare that somehow managed to convey 'Peter, really?', 'are you stupid?', and 'why do I even deal with you?' all in one look.  He honestly felt very attacked. And he wasn't moping. He was just tired so he thought that staying in bed was a perfectly normal thing to do. All day. Without leaving. Perfectly normal.

“I’m not sulking,” he finally answered sulkily.

“Really.” MJ replied, voice as dry as a Middle Eastern desert.

“I’m not.”

“It’s 3 pm and you’re still in bed.”

“The weather is cold and terrible. Perfect for staying in bed.”

“You haven’t washed your suit,” she said, gesturing to the dirty Spider-man suit that was laying on the ground.

“I just forgot OK?”

“And I could smell your blue balls from a mile away.”

“Ewww, MJ please don’t talk about my balls again.”

"You’re more horrified with me talking about your non-existent sex life rather than giving a random stranger your phone number?" MJ’s deadpan reply made Peter pause from being mortified to mumbling in embarrassment.

"...I do not have a non-existent sex life. Besides it’s not that bad."

MJ just arched her brow in response. It was a perfect arch, shaped so smoothly that it looked it was chiseled from marble. It had a royal haughtiness, a searing judgmental vibe, and a sass so natural to MJ that it made him feel like he should know the answer but was too dense to realize it. Peter was honestly jealous how she could just give a look and make you feel clueless. He just glared at her, which was ineffective since he looked like an angry puppy swimming in the ridiculous amount of bedding.

"Look. It’s cold outside, I have a perfectly warm and toasty bed, so I see no reason to get out. And for the last time, I am not moping."

“Hi MJ, why are you- oh. Is he still moping?” Ned emerged from behind MJ, still fresh from class. He gave cursory glance at the state of Peter’s bed before facing MJ, a serious look on his face. “I think we need to give him an intervention. All this moping isn’t good for him.”

“I am not moping!” Peter exclaimed, pushing off the pillows and covers. Why was everyone out to get him today?

“Peter, you’re so sexually frustrated that you could give a priest a run for their money,” Ned told him as he joined MJ to give Peter a look. “I really think you should talk to someone about how you get turned on after fighting crime.” Ned had a look of concern that made Peter sputter in mortification.

“What the- That’s not- I’m going on patrol!” He jumped out of the comfort of his bed and grabbed a nearby Spider-suit before running up to the roof top, doing his best to ignore the two. He managed to hear a distant shout of ‘don’t be afraid to talk!’ and ‘remember to buy eggs loser!’ that petered out to the peace and quiet. He managed to change in a hidden alcove and noticed that he took one of his home made suits made of simple spandex and lacking his friendly AI Karen. Not wanting to go back and face the judgement of his friends, Peter decided to roll with it and wear the suit, before finally swinging away as Spider-man.

Peter let himself drown in the exhilarating rush of falling and swinging, washing away the embarrassment of his two best friends grilling him on his moodiness. It wasn’t his fault that he was so blue balled. If anything, it was the stupid mugger’s fault for interrupting. Although, if it wasn’t for him, Peter might not have met Eddie. These thoughts were not what he need right now, so he did his best to keep them out. He was trying _not_ to think about the sad state of his sex life and any reminders would not be appreciated.

He felt a sense of danger suddenly wash over him mid swing. Landing on a nearby cell tower, Peter focused on letting his Spider-sense lead him. With the general sense of direction in mind, he swung as fast as he could to where his senses were pointing at. It led him to a bank in Manhattan, where crowds of people were running away as bolts of lightning arched out of the wrecked doors. Peter felt excitement thrum in him. Finally, just what he needed to keep certain handsome strangers and nosy roommates out of his head. With a smirk beneath his mask, he swung heroicly into action and thought of one thing.

_This is gonna be fun._

 

* * *

 

 

 _‘This is totally **not fun** ,_’ Peter thought after dodging the seventh lightning blast in the past five minutes.

Apparently the guy who was taking the bank hostage was an angry electrician who didn’t get insured after he got struck by lightning. Then he suddenly developed electrical powers and thought it was a good idea to hold the bank responsible or something. Peter wasn’t sure of the other specifics, only that the guy had been destroying the place for a good 30 minutes and was busy turning the bank walls into Swiss cheese by blasting through every one of them. Those lightning bolts were not a joke. Something he learned the hard way after trying to sneak up behind him and getting electrocuted for his troubles.

He groaned from his spot on the floor, muscles spasming from the unexpected shock. The sound of foot-steps on the marble floor brought his attention back to the baddie slowly stalking towards him. Electricity would arc around him like a deadly halo of energy, and made him look incredibly cool much to Peter’s chagrin. He did not escape his friends today just to go two rounds with a Pikachu on steroids.

“Come on taser head, can’t we just relax for a bit?” Peter complained. The only thing he got in reply was a fist grabbing the front of his suit. He was left no time to come up with a response before he was thrown through the ruined wall.

Fighting the guy was like trying to fight literal lightning itself so Peter had to get creative in taking the guy down. It took him getting thrown five times, through two buildings and the fight ending up in an abandoned apartment complex before he managed to knock the guy unconscious by dropping a bath tub on him.

He was subduing the perp in a thick amount of webbing when his Spider-sense started tingling. The feeling was coming all around him, the possible danger coming from all directions. He turned every which way but saw nothing and no one there. Only the old brick walls covered in scorch marks from the robber’s electrical attacks. It wasn’t until he heard the sudden creak that he realized he was in an old building where he fought a guy that could blast through wall and he needed to get out _NOW!_

Without a thought, Peter threw the bad guy out into the street and was about to join him when, in a single instant, all the floors of the building crashed unto him. Something hit the back of his head, hard, and caused him to drop to the ground. Tons of brick, wood, and plaster fell on Peter, trapping him in a suffocating darkness of dust and rubble. Dust choked the air and Peter could barely gasp without inhaling it. The sound of the collapsing building surrounded him in a deafening curtain, before finally settling into quiet.

Peter could feel his heart beat faster as the memory from so long ago began to resurface.

_The sound of mechanized wings. Sparks flying as hard alien metal ripped through stone pillars._

_Concrete falling all around him, on him._

_The feeling of being trapped._

_The silence only broken by the sound of his cries._

_The knowledge that he was all alone and no one could hear him, no matter how loud he shouted._

_He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe. Someone help him please. Help me. Help me. Help me!_

Before he could go into a full blown panic attack though, the sound of moving rubble caught his attention. He looked towards the, difficult in the darkness, and could hear a person grunting in effort. As the seconds passed, the sounds of movement got louder, more and more debris was moved away, until finally light. A speck of light in the darkness but it was enough. Peter scrambled towards the small opening, using as much of his strength to move the wreckage above him. It was slow going, even with the aid from the outside. But with each movement brought an increment of relief that gave Peter more room to move. It felt like ages, even though in reality it was only minutes, before Peter was finally free from the ruined apartment building. The rocks above him were lifted, allowing Peter to crawl out. A pair of strong hands gently lifted him up and laid him on a wall. The air was still dusty and difficult to breathe, but Peter was in the sunlight. He was outside and he would be safe.

A hand on his shoulder made him stare at his rescuer kneeling in front of him. The dust still made everything hazy, and his mask wasn’t exactly helping things, but he could still make out the faint outline of a man with broad shoulders. The man began to ask him something, but his ears were still ringing from the crash and he was left coughing with all the dust in the air which left his voice muffled. Shaking his head to clear the ringing, he tried to stand up and felt the man pull him by his hands so he could brace himself on the wall. By then the ringing in his ears had faded and he could finally hear the man’s question.

“Hey are you ok?” A gruff and deep voice asked. He was turned towards the wall and away from the man so he brought up his mask half-way and gulped a few deep breaths.

He waved away the question, coughed up a bit of dust, and assured the man that he was okay despite being temporarily buried alive. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I’ll live.”

“You sure? Cause having a building dropped on you isn’t exactly something I would consider healthy.”

His reply made Peter chuckle good naturedly despite the situation. Sure it wasn’t healthy, but since when was being a superhero safe? Just an occupational hazard is all. He pulled down his mask once again before turning to his savior.

“Hey thanks for helping me out of there. I mean I could have gotten out but it was nice to know that someone bothered to try- “, whatever he was about to say got caught in his throat as he finally saw who he was talking to. The dust had settled enough for him to finally see everything. The remains of the destroyed apartment were strewn about, bits of smashed walls around them. What used to be the ceiling of the ground floor and the floors above was now a large gaping hole that let sunlight stream unhindered. The ruins of the building covered every bit of the floor, with the only clear spot being where they stood. The only thing left intact was the outer walls, almost hiding them in this small circle of rubble and debris.

It was honestly for the best that no one could see them because Peter was sure that his gaping mouth could be seen even with the suit. Standing before him was a man in a black shirt that was underneath a familiar denim jacket. Broad shoulders and a well-built chest that had fueled his fantasies. Thick legs in tight black wash jeans that filled his waking hours. Thick brown hair that just begged to be caressed. A face covered with stubble that didn’t look out of place in a magazine spread. Dark intense eyes, familiar blue eyes, were gazing at him in concern.

Eddie, the same Eddie from before, was standing in front of him. What were the odds that the man who saved him from a mugging two days would once again save Peter from a collapsed building?

“You okay there Spider-man?”

Correction, he saved Spider-man. The man behind all of his current sexual frustration was currently standing in front of Spider-man, not Peter Parker. What were the odds that the same man would save his alter ego? Honestly what was Peter’s life?

Peter must have been staring at him silently for some time because Eddie had suddenly gotten closer and rested a hand on his shoulder. The decreased distance between them caused a warm flush onto his face, which was thankfully hidden by his mask. His eyes on him, even with the suit covering him and hiding his identity, was still making him squirm awkwardly. None of this registered to the other party, who simply asked him about his condition.

“Are you sure you’re okay? An ambulance is on the way and they could check you out and see if anything’s broken.”

Peter stuttered out a reply, still not over the strange coincidence that was ruling his life. “N-n-no I’m fine. I’m fine, promise. I heal up quick so it won’t be a problem.”

“You sure?”

“Trust me, I’m A-Okay,” he replied, giving the man a thumbs up and a wide grin despite his face being hidden.  Either way it was enough to remove the doubtful look in Eddie was giving him.

“Well, if you insist.”

“Don’t worry. And thanks for hauling my ass out of there by the way.”

 “It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing? My body just moved on its own. After the building collapsed, I just felt like I had to see if you were alright. Good thing I did,” Eddie chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.

“Yeah, good thing you did. Thanks for the save. I might not have gotten out if it weren’t for you,” he told Eddie.

“Don’t sweat it. I guess helping other people is sort of my job description now.” Eddie replied, a lopsided smile on his face. Peter gave a light laugh at this, having experienced said man rescue him from before.

“Seriously though, thank you.” Peter said this with sincerity. He was close to having a panic attack under there with how it reminded him of the last time he got almost buried alive. Eddie really saved his skin in more ways than one. A moment of silence stretched between them, Peter having said his fill and not knowing what else to say.

Eddie must have interpreted it as him waiting because he suddenly said, “Oh, it’s Eddie by the way. Eddie Brock.”

The sudden introduction made Peter’s eyes widen underneath the mask. He finally had the full name of the man who had been haunting his fantasies. He finally had a way to contact the one behind all his sexual woes. Noticing that Eddie wasn’t talking, he quickly stammered out a reply, “I’m P- Spider-man. You can call me Spider-man.”

His momentary slip up must have gone unnoticed or maybe Eddie decided not to comment on it. “Nice to meet you Spider-man. Can I call you Spidey?”

Peter never gave a thought to his nickname ‘Spidey’. But with Eddie saying his name with that voice of his, it suddenly sounded like a whole new word to him. It made him blush hard and left him flustered underneath his suit. “Y-you can call me whatever you want…”

Eddie gave him a warm smile that sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He could have just stood there and stared at him, enjoying the man’s attention, but the sound of creaking wood brought him back to the present. A quick glance around reminded him that they were still inside a building that just had lost most of its floors to two super-powered dudes duking it out inside and was just a breeze away to a total collapse.

“I think we should get out of here,” he told Eddie.

He looked around and saw that the building was rapidly deteriorating around them. “Yeah I think that’s a good idea.”

They both stepped outside, into an alley way next to one of the intact outer walls. Peter could hear people outside of the alley, probably wondering what happened to him after the building collapsed. He looked back at Eddie and thumbed back to where a crowd was most likely gathering out at the front of the building.

“Gotta go. Can’t let anyone think I suddenly died,” Peter quipped. He smirked at Eddie, momentarily forgetting that it couldn’t be seen with his mask on. Eddie just gave that lopsided smile of his as he replied, “Yeah you go do that.”

With one final wave, Peter gave a running leap and shot his web. Just before he could swing out the alley, he shouted, “Nice meeting you Eddie!”

He was already mid swing and in full view of the cheering masses below when he heard Eddie shout back, “Nice meeting you too Spidey!”

 

* * *

 

 

A giddy feeling filled Peter as he made his way back to his apartment, finally done with his patrol. The revelation from earlier that day was still fresh on his mind. Sure all it took was a walking electrical hazard to almost bury him alive to get it, but it got him Eddie’s full name. Now he had something to go on when looking for a way to contact the guy. That thought alone made all the bruises and sore muscles that he was bound to feel all tomorrow all worth it.

_Eddie Brock_

The name rang familiar in his head. He heard that name from somewhere although he couldn’t remember where specifically. Maybe he heard it in passing? Or maybe in the street? Peter would find out later anyways so he put it out of his mind for now. Instead he focused on the way his name sounded.

“Eddie Brock,” he whispered into the wind. A smile crept unto his face as he repeated the name over and over again in his mind. He gave a loud whoop that was easily lost with the ambient noise of New York. But even if they could hear him, Peter couldn’t give a damn. It was with this cheerfulness in his heart that he swung back to his apartment, letting out a joyful holler every few blocks.

Peter would finally find out the reason for the name’s familiarity. As he was sitting in his bed, laptop open and cold packs on every patch of sore muscle, he did a simple Internet search on Eddie’s name. He fully expected just a bunch of Facebook and Twitter accounts, harmless and boring. But instead, he got dozens upon dozens of articles, pictures, and videos with the name Eddie Brock. The images showed the same Eddie that he had seen. Same mop of thick brown hair. Same blue eyes. Heck, even the same familiar stubble. The articles he saw had ‘Eddie Brock’ cited as the author. In all the videos, he saw the man who saved him twice holding a microphone and talking, no _reporting_ , to a camera. One video showed him in Yemen, talking about the starving citizens that was slowly becoming a humanitarian crisis of large proportions. Another showed him valiantly chasing a story on a corrupt religious leader in Indonesia. There was even a video of him braving a typhoon in the Philippines just so he could help a village evacuate when they were being oppressed by militant groups.

The more Peter looked, the more he realized with a startling clarity the reason why the name Eddie Brock sounded so familiar. He should have realized it sooner. After all, the guy was in the business of news. Eddie Brock, the most infamous investigative journalist in the country, the one responsible for the fall of the Life Foundation, a goddamn _celebrity_ in his own right, was the guy who had saved Peter twice. He was also the guy Peter had a massive crush on.  

Peter hoped this wouldn't blow up in his face.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reaching the end of the chapter! I hope you liked it! Leave any comment and criticisms so I can find more ways to improve myself and the story. 
> 
> Also, I started a ko-fi account since being a student requires cash, and writing fan fics isn't the most lucrative business. While I know my stories are new, I would appreciate it immensely if you could just support me as an artist and support this story!


	3. Keyboard warriors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm BAAAAACCKKKKKKK 
> 
> Sorry it took so long! I had stuff to do (again) and procrastination and anxieties and life got in the way so yeah. Honestly this fic is one of the few things I like to keep stable so any support, comments and love you guys give is amazing. Also someone made fan art for this pic, which is awesome. I would like to thank RyanLovesJosh for the wonderful art work they made that was inspired by the story (which I'm still not sure if I'm not hallucinating cuz oh my god that's amazing).
> 
> Check it here guys https://i.imgur.com/Bvgn6S9.jpg

Peter looked at the screen with poorly hidden disdain. Not that it affected the laptop that much since screens couldn’t glare back.  Neither were they alive for that matter. Peter didn’t care though. He just wanted to release as much of his frustration, just a push away from going full-on office rage. A voice, that sounded suspiciously like Captain America, began admonishing him for wanting to hurt the innocent device and how using physical violence is not a healthy outlet for stress, maybe he should consider drinking tea instead? And with Steve Roger’s imaginary disembodied voice scolding him, he actually focused on the actual reason for his scorn and not on committing laptop murder despite the temptation.

The source of his ire was currently open on his laptop. His screen was showing an internet article he came upon while he was eating his breakfast at the shared kitchen while browsing for alternative sources of educational materials (i.e. pirating textbooks because they’re hella expensive). He usually read the news for updates on possible areas for where crime was happening so he could patrol them later, updates on the Avengers and other super heroes, and maybe checking out if the city of New York was finally viewing him as a hero instead of vigilante scum. Opening the article proved that it was the latter option.

His browser opened to an editorial page. The title ‘ ** _SPIDER-MAN FAILS TO SAVE MANHATTAN BANK_** ’ was written on screen in large bold letters along with ‘ ** _THE HERO WE DON’T NEED_** ’ scrawled in a smaller font just below. Underneath the title was a clear picture of the bank from a few days ago. Or rather what was left of the bank. The pristine marble pillars that decorated the front was riddled with cracks and burn marks. The front steps that were the same marble white as the pillars were scorched like someone took a giant blow torch to the place. Glass, metal, and other debris was scattered around the bank, bounded by a piece of police barrier tape. Below the picture was the beginnings of the article. Just the first line made Peter scowl.

_‘In a clear sign of incompetence, Spider-man has once again failed to act as the city’s protector after failing to immediately apprehend an enhanced individual that went on a rampage last Saturday afternoon. The Manhattan branch of foreign bank Crédit Nationale Suprême was attacked by former electrician Max Dillon who used his enhanced abilities against the institution after his medical bills were not covered by his insurance with said bank. The perpetrator was able to destroy most of the building before Spider-man arrived. Even more destruction followed by a battle that led to the damages to three apartment complexes before Dillon was finally apprehended. Experts are saying that the collateral damage would be at the hundreds of thousands. This begs the question of why we allow such an irresponsible individual act unsupervised as some wannabe hero.”_

The rest of the piece that followed was more descriptions of the events along with more opinions of the writer about how Spider-man should retire and should be arrested. Peter felt a spike of irritation go through him. Okay, he’d admit that he didn’t handle the situation in the best of ways. And yes, maybe letting himself get smashed through three building was bad. But it was kinda hard to think about collateral damage when ‘ _save the hostages’_ and _‘try not to die’_ was the priority at the time. And the article didn’t even bother to mention how he distracted the guy from frying the people inside the bank! Honestly, is this what passes for journalism these days? Then again, it was written by J. Jonah Jameson, the man who had been leading a witch hunt against Peter since day one, so it wasn’t a surprise. Add the fact that the Daily Bugle wasn’t the only one talking about what happened and it was a miracle he hadn’t barged in their offices and sued them for libel. Could they think of any other topic besides ‘ _Spider-Man is a menace to society! He must be locked up!’_. The New York Times, The Washington Post, Fox News, hell even Buzzfeed was after his ass (what the hell Buzzfeed, I thought you liked my thicc ass?). These were the moments Peter wonders how Captain America and the Rouge Avenger managed to go on the run for so long when everyone in the world just saw them as a threat.   

Peter scrolled down further and saw more pictures of the destruction. At this, Peter felt his temper fade, a heavy feeling settling in his chest instead, dowsing the anger that was roaring just moments ago. Craters pocketed the dark tiled interiors of the bank, with one of the walls being nothing more than a humungous hole. What was left of the walls was painted in black scorch marks. The bank counter was practically non-existent, just a pile rubble. Tasteful modern furnishings of the bank were just a bunch of burning wood and leather. Other pictures showed more damage before moving on the other buildings. A few shots were of the other two buildings Peter was thrown through, gigantic holes in what was supposed to be red brick walls. There were shots of the apartment where he and Max Dillon fought, before, during, and after it collapsed. It was nothing but pure and utter devastation.

This wasn’t the first time there was heavy collateral damage from his fights. Hell, part of being a super hero was the inevitable destruction of public property thanks to a few trigger happy bad guys. And with Peter being Spider-man for the past 7 years, buildings crumbling to the ground by energy blasts was as familiar as the endless amount of muggers and petty thieves in New York. But no matter how often it happened or how much he’s seen, Peter would always feel like it’s his fault. He knew logically that he wasn’t the one who shot the lightning bolts destroyed those buildings. A pragmatic part of him already deduced that the damage could have been way worse if he didn’t step in. Someone might have even lost their life if it weren’t for him. But it didn’t stop the guilt that he could have done more. Maybe if he was a little faster, he could have subdued the guy before they destroyed the apartment buildings. If he was a little bit smarter, he wouldn’t have tried to touch a guy made of _pure electricity_. Maybe, what if, so many possible ways he could have avoided too much destruction. But he didn’t and now he had to look at the product of his failure.

Peter closed the tab and rubbed his face with his hands, like he was trying to rub the images of what he saw from his eyes. But they didn’t go away, the images were burned into his retinas. He could almost hear the sounds of the building shaking, the crackle of electricity as he fought Dillon, the screams of the people as they tried to run, the racing of his heartbeat when he realized that he was a bit over his head and that someone could _die_. If he messed up once, he might not have been looking at pictures of a destroyed building. He felt sick at the thought that he might have been reading someone’s obituary instead. Of course nobody did die, it was a miracle that nobody was seriously injured at all, but that’s beside the point.

 A light thump on his head brought Peter out of the cave of wallowing he made in his arms. He looked behind him to the thing that his head and saw a rolled up ball of paper lying just behind his chair. Absentmindedly rubbing at the spot and searching for where it could have come from, he was greeted to the sight of MJ, arms crossed, staring at him with a half irritated half disinterested gaze.

“Stop that.”

“Uh... nice to see you too?” He eloquently replied. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 10 am. Ned was busy sleeping in after cramming an essay up until 5 am. And Peter didn’t have classes since they got canceled after an accident in the labs. So he was surprised to see MJ in the apartment since he was pretty sure double degree holders had a hectic schedule. He was brought from his musings by MJ’s dry voice.

“You’re doing it again.”

“What am I doing again?” Peter asked her in confusion.

“Beating yourself up,” she replied.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Peter lied.

She raised her eyebrow at him, unbelieving. Okay he was totally beating himself up, but he wasn’t going to admit it.

“You’ve been reading about your fight for the past hour.”

“I have not- Wait how long have you been standing there? Why are you even here? I thought you had class?”

She waved it away like the idea of why she was _always_ in the apartment and ready to dish out some words to Peter wasn’t something to think about.

“Not important. What is important is you being all pathetic and blaming yourself because some guy decided to rob a bank.”

“You’re kinda oversimplifying it. And I am not beating myself up.”

She just looked at him silently and admonishing. Peter started shuffling his feet the more MJ stared, getting more and more nervous at the unrelenting gaze. It took a minute under the ‘MJ look’ before Peter caved. He gave a long sigh before letting his head fall back to his arms.

“It’s not your fault. Stop being stupid and accept that,” came her gentle voice, something she rarely used.

“I know,” Peter sighed, bringing his head back up to look at her. “I know that it’s not my fault okay? I just can’t help feel bad about it.” Self-pity was one of his most used skills after all. Something that MJ didn’t like since she said, “You need to learn how to not feel guilty about everything that happens around you. That’s unhealthy behavior.”

The comment made him grimace. “Can you not psychoanalyze me? I get that already with Wanda,” he grumbled. referring to how often the girl would test out the new interrogation methods she would learn from Natasha on him. Wanda still smirked knowingly at him whenever he looked at octopuses for too long.

“That’s not psychoanalyzing, that’s me calling you out on your bullshit. Stop the pity party,” she scolded, voice less gentle and taking on that her signature flat tone.

He simply went back to hiding his face again. He heard MJ sigh loudly followed by the sound of footsteps approach. He barely raised his read before he felt himself being lightly shoved away. He saw MJ grabbing his laptop and quickly typing something.

“What are you doing?” Peter asked. She said nothing and only continued fiddling with the mouse pad. A few taps later and the screen suddenly turned his way. She pointed to Peter then to the laptop.

“There. Read.”

“What?”

MJ just rolled her eyes and pushed Peter towards the screen. Peter gave her a look of confusion before turning to whatever she wanted him to read. He felt himself scowl as he saw that MJ had opened his browser to a site called ‘The Independent Post’ and had another editorial on the aftermath of the bank robbery.

“MJ, I really don’t need another guy telling me how much I screwed up.”

“Will you shut up and just read?” she replied, giving him her signature don’t-be-an-idiot look. He grumbled below his breath before turning to the browser. At the top of the page was the title of the opinion piece, in bold script, read: **_‘Chaos at Crédit Nationale Suprême: A sign for things to come?’._** Below the title was a picture of the bank in ruins, with additional people captured crying. Great. Really cheering him up.

_‘Society has had a complicated relationship with superheroes. Ever since Tony Stark revealed himself as Iron Man, superheroes have slowly but surely made themselves a permanent fixture into society. And when aliens invaded and almost turned the city into an apocalyptic wasteland, New York has slowly become the poster child for superhero collateral damage. And while we can debate the role of superheroes in society, the inevitable truth of the matter is that catastrophe always follows. So when Spider-Man, New York’s resident protector, tried to stop a bank robbery against enhanced individual Max Dillon, it was no surprise that the destruction of the Crédit Nationale Suprême followed. So it makes one ask: do we still need superheroes? Even if chaos still happens?’_

“MJ, seriously. I don’t need another-“

“Shush. Read.”

Peter rolled his eyes at her but followed her command. And felt surprised by what followed.

_‘The answer is yes._

_Because while everyone was focused on the destroyed bank, the ruined apartment buildings, the fight between powerful people that caused the chaos that followed, only a few saw the lives that are still here now because of Spider-Man’s efforts. If you made a simple Google search of what happened, the first thing that will appear are the many articles talking about how the bank and the city lost hundreds of thousands of dollars after what happened. Or analysis on Spider-Man’s fight and how he could have ended it faster. Meanwhile, so few of those articles actually try and talk about the people that had to witness those events. Which is why the narrative surrounding the robbery is so limited. We’ve forgotten that 30 people almost lost there lives to the hands of an out of control enhanced individual, only to be saved by Spider-Man._

_We must remember that in times of crisis, it’s not the dollars lost nor the infrastructure ruined that we should focus on. It’s not the politics and economics that fixes the broken. It is the people. And it’s something that Spider-Man always remembers. You can see it in the way he fights crime. While the Avengers stopped world ending the disasters, Spider-Man is here to make sure you don’t get mugged in the night. He always helps the people no matter the reason. You can see videos of him swinging around neighborhoods to patrol into the wee hours of the night. Many people would testify how the web swinger would drop down just to help old ladies cross the street or how he’d help cats stuck in trees. In fact, the borough of Queens has attributed Spider-Man as the main reason why bike and car theft have dropped significantly in the area._

_But it doesn’t stop there. Spider-Man is also known for his incredible acts of heroism that has stood as the only thing keeping New York from total annihilation. He stopped the illegal weapons trade headed by Adrian Toomes. He saved the city when Otto Octavius tried to recreate his deadly experiment that would have turned the city into a smoldering pile of dust. He prevented Curt Connors from turning half of the population of New York into gigantic reptiles. He is a shield between the now and the horrible possibilities of the unknown. And while he makes mistakes, while he isn’t perfect, no matter how much we hate and despise him or ask him to quit, he doesn’t. From small acts of kindness to large acts of bravery, he has proven himself as a protector and peacekeeper that the citizens can trust._

_So I ask again: do we still need superheroes?_

_I will just direct you to our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, and you’ll know that the answer, the only answer we can have, is yes. Because if people like him are willing to risk their reputation and lives just so New York can breathe a little easier, then I think that’s a wonderful world to live in.’_

Peter stare at the screen in shock. He read it again just to be sure. Someone was defending him?  That was a first. He had fans for sure, seven years of being a local super hero does that to you. But they were never the vocal sort. Most people were just in the sidelines, acting as either silent support or judgement. Rarely did they ever speak out for him. The only people who ever made public statements in support for him were the Avengers and a bunch of people on Tumblr. At least now he could count the writer as one of his supporters.

A warm feeling filled him at the idea. Being a superhero and vigilante meant a lot of enemies. While he was protected from those who wanted to hurt him, for the most part, he wasn’t as safe when it comes to the hate. No matter what he did, someone always found wrong in it. It didn’t matter how many people he saved or how close he was to dying, if he didn’t do a good enough job then he might as well have failed. It was honestly frustrating to no end that people would come for him even if all he wanted to do was help. There were so many times that he was tempted to just give up and hang the suit. To say screw it and let New York City fend for itself.

Until he remembered what the cost of his inaction would be. Uncle Ben’s death still haunted him in many ways. The idea of someone ending up like that, cold and quiet and lifeless and _dead on the side walk oh my god I could have stopped this_ , was enough to brush those thoughts aside. And then he would wear his suit again and swing out the window. He would keep being Spider-Man just so no one had to end up like that ever again. So if people decided that he was worth fighting for, then all the more reason to keep on going. So long as people like the writer still believed in him, then he would always be Spider-Man.

Wait, who did write this?

He scrolled up to the top to check out who wrote the article, and felt his eyes widen at what he read. It seemed that fate loved playing with him. Because there it was, written in capital bold letters, was the name of his new supporter.

Eddie Brock.

Eddie _fucking_ Brock.

Of course it had to be the guy that saved him twice.

What where the chances?

Peter clicked on the name, just to be sure that it was what he thought it was. The picture that popped up was- yep that’s his Eddie right there. Same thick black hair. Same intense and piercing blue eyes. Same sexy smile.

_His Eddie._

Wait he wasn’t _his._ Eddie was no one’s but himself. He just so happened to be his rescuer and the source of many of scandalous dreams. And now he was a supporter? Holy shit, the universe loved playing with him. Was this a sign?

“E-eddie Brockk wrote this?” Peter said in awe. He looked towards MJ who had a smirk on her face.

“Yes. And it wasn't the first time your crush wrote something to defend you. Glad to know that you feel better now.”

Better wasn’t the word Peter would use. Elated. Energized. Thrilled. Delighted. Ecstatic. Overjoyed. And probably going overboard because honestly the guy just defended him online. The guy was a reporter; it was his job to write stuff. And he just liked defending Spider-Man. So what? It wasn’t that big of a deal.

Except it kinda was? I mean who could say that their crush saved their life twice and was now a stalwart defender of his honor? Peter could. Because that’s his life now. Superhero, college student, and supported by his crush, despite the fact that it’s his alter ego and not him exactly.

But his crush was openly defending him. Holy shit, this only happened in soap operas and rom coms. What universe did he live in for this to happen? Just the very idea of Eddie defending him brought a butterflies in his stomach. The idea that he was in need of rescuing was stupid, but the idea that someone was willing to do it still, to be his knight in shining armor? God that just made Peter feel things (safe-for-work things, not the usual thoughts he had with Eddie although those were plentiful as well). A giddy laugh bubbled out of his mouth and his lips broke into a huge smile. Eddie, a keyboard warrior defending his honor.

“You wanna read the rest of his work?” Peter turned back to MJ who still had that cocky smirk on her face.

“Yes I will,” Peter replied confidently. He’s not ashamed about loving the idea of having a supporter like Eddie.

“Then just type his name and Spider-Man and you’ll see the rest of his articles on the site.”

Peter turned back to the screen as MJ walked out of the kitchen, now fully engrossed with the task. He typed ‘Eddie Brock’ and ‘Spider-Man’ together and saw that a dozen articles were written about just from Eddie alone. Holy shit.

“By the way Pete,” MJ suddenly spoke as she popped her head back into the kitchen, “you might wanna check the debates he’s made about you. I think you’re gonna like it.”

That had Peter scrambling for his earphones as he quickly brought up Youtube in a separate tab and began watching. And as he listened to the gruff bass of Eddie’s voice stalwartly defending him, telling others to trust him, showing why he should still be their hero despite his shortcomings, Peter began to realize that maybe, just maybe, he might like Eddie. As in like like. Just a little.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you reached the end!!!! Sorry if there's no Eddie in this fic, at least not directly. But I may have accidentally turned the story into a slow burn? I realy wanna apologize for that!!! I planned on making this a one shot initially but i had way too many things too add then BOOM it's a multi chapter. I just loved the idea of a slowly falling in love. Which unfortunately includes slow moments where the characters don't meet but they learn to like each other any ways. But this couple needs more slow burns since most of the fics are very... well... dark. So I wanna contribute lighter stuff too.
> 
> WHICH REMINDS ME!!! Guys, you can make suggestions as to what can happen next!!! I'd love to hear what you want to read next!!! And as always, thanks for reading and enjoy yourself!!!!
> 
> Follow me at @fluffyspideys on Twitter if you ever wanna talk to me (this is a shameless plug because I need more friends).


	4. Get wet and get educated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK!!! 
> 
> Guys I'm so sorry it's been a month since I last updated! Life has been hectic, school has been a mess, and my personal love for writing took a bit of a roller coaster ride. 
> 
> But I'm back! And I may have finally figured out how I'm gonna approach the bigger story arch. For now, enjoy this tidbit goodness. So enjoy the latest chapter!
> 
> Also please follow me on twitter at @fluffyspideys because I'm funny (actually I'm desperate and shameless).

The air smelled strongly of salt and sea, the sand a soft texture beneath his bare feet, as Peter stood in the empty beach. He huffed in frustration as he leaned on the rocky cliff side, the cold of the ocean wind chilling him to the bone. He pushed off the cliffside and walked closer to the water, rubbing his arms along his bare arms and back, a futile attempt to keep warm.  

He suddenly felt arms wrap around him and pull him to a warm and broad chest. He could feel the fuzzy heat of him on his naked back. He let out an excited giggle, enjoying the feel of his muscular arms surrounding his body, being enveloped by him. That giggle turned into a surprised moan as lips suddenly found themselves on his neck. Peter was left breathless by the heat of his mouth on his skin, nibbling and sucking, leaving marks anyone could see. Tiny mewls of pleasure would sneak out of his lips, moans he desperately wanted to hide unless he risked someone hearing. Yet his soft lips were doing wonders to the heat building in his belly, making any resistance crumble before they could begin.

Warm hands started caressing his naked chest, trails of scorching heat following the path of his fingers. Peter finally let out a loud moan as one of the hands pinched his nipple. Another hand had started to move lower and lower until it was finally cupping the front of his pants. He had turned painfully hard with the sensual ministrations, tenting his sweatpants and leaving an obvious wet spot of his desire. The heat of that hand ghosted his erection, making Peter squirm in anticipation at the touch. He heard a gruff chuckle from the other man as Peter subconsciously began to push his hips in an attempt to get some form of friction.

“My my, someone’s very eager.” Came his amused response. The bass of his voice rumbled through Peter and straight to his manhood and only made the heat in his belly grow stronger with lust. He turned a glare to the man behind him and was greeted with playful blue eyes.

“Don’t tease me Eddie,” Peter complained. “Here I am, waiting for you in the cold and you haven’t even kissed me.”

Eddie just laughed at him, the hand playing with his nipples having settled on his hip and the other still achingly far from giving him release, which only made Peter pout. The pout was suddenly replaced with him gasping as Eddie’s hand dipped into the waistband of his pants and grabbed his erection. He was left panting as Eddie began slow strokes that made him weak in the knees.

“Forgive me then. I’ll be sure to make up for it.”

Peter could only moan in reply, too busy enjoying the rough and callused yet soft touch of Eddie’s palm on him. He felt Eddie’s mouth nibble his neck and turned to capture those lips into a searing kiss, putting as much of his lust and hunger for him in to it. They parted with a shared breath between them, almost as if they were trying to take in the very essence of each other through their lips. Peter gazed into Eddie’s eyes, warm brown into intense blue, and felt himself disappear into their depths. A warm hand settled on Peter’s cold cheek and he nuzzled his face into his palm. That hand made him turn his body towards Eddie before bringing him closer to Eddie’s lips, a sliver of space between contact.

“Kiss me,” he said breathlessly. Peter obliged with fervor, his arms wrapping around the taller man’s neck to drag him closer. The kiss was fire and passion, mouth on mouth and breathing each other in. Their tongues explored each other, remembering the taste of one another, as their hands roamed each other’s body. Peter grabbed at Eddie’s shoulders as their kiss deepened further, trying to ground himself and not get swept away by the sheer force of Eddie. He felt hands grabbing at his thighs and pulling him even closer like the hairsbreadth of space between them felt too far away. Eddie made a grunt of annoyance before pulling away from Peter. The other man was still reeling from the kiss so he never heard Eddie whisper against his lips, asking for something, before pulling the fabric of his pants downward. Those big warm hands grabbed the bare skin of his ass and caused Peter to moan out loud. He kissed Eddie with a vengeance, all tongue and heat and passion. Eddie turned his dark blue eyes to the other’s warm brown and asked with a voice heavy with lust,

“Make love to me Peter.”

 

And that was when he decided to wake up.

The smell of salt spray and the feel of warm and rough palms was replaced by the musk of forgotten laundry and the cold autumn air. He took a moment to orient himself, unable to remember where he was. Blinking, his eyes finally adjusted themselves enough to help him recognize the white of his bedroom ceiling covered by glow-in-the-dark stars. He rose from his bed slowly, eyes wide, breath still heavy, and a visible tent in his bed covers that was definitely not made by his legs.

It took a total of three minutes for Peter to realize that he was just in his bed and _not_ making out with Eddie Brock by the sea. It took another three minutes for him to realize that he had a dream about Eddie Brock that they were about to have _sex_. And it took 30 seconds for him to realize that he _woke up_ before even getting to the good part. Which had him grabbing the nearest pillow and screaming his frustration.

_God. Fucking. Dammit!_

 

* * *

 

 

“So someone was having a good dream,” Ned began as he scooped a spoonful of his mother’s home made stew into his mouth. Peter looked up from where he was watching a video to stare at Ned flatly before returning to his phone, his own breakfast of warm porridge and a cup of hot chocolate sitting right beside him. Peter heard Ned snicker at him despite the earphones, so he did the mature thing and stuck his tongue out at him. This obviously didn’t deter Ned.

“Was he good?”

“Ned.”

“What? I’m just asking.”

“We are not discussing this.”

“So you’re telling me he didn’t leave you so sore that you’ll remember him every time you move the next morning?”

Peter stared at Ned, shocked and a tad bit horrified.

“Dude. What the hell? I had a dream, not actual sex!”

Ned actually looked embarrassed with what he just said. “Okay that was weird, I’m sorry. I was watching 50 Shades of Grey last night.”

“...I don’t even wanna know.”

A silence settled between them. Peter decided the best course of action was to ignore Ned and go back to his video. Listening to the sound of ocean waves and the deep voiced narration was better than being interrogated by his best friend on his sexual performance when dreaming. Ned rolled his eyes at the way his friend obsessively kept his attention on the phone, but decided not to talk about the other’s dream any further. They were both halfway finished with their warm breakfasts when MJ finally emerged from her room.

“Good morning losers,” she greeted. She entered the kitchen-dining area of their apartment wearing nothing but volleyball shorts and a sleeveless shirt printed with ‘ _ENHANCED ARE HUMAN TOO_ ’ on the front. She grabbed a nearby apple from the counter before settling herself in a chair between them. Peter only gave her a cursory glance and echoed her greeting before returning to his phone. Ned, on the other hand, was busy staring at her. Or rather, at what she was wearing.

“You slept in those?” he asked, perplexed. Ned was currently wearing pajamas and a sweater while Peter donned on sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. The two boys were dressed fit for the cold autumnal weather. But MJ seemed to not notice that it was the middle of October and was wearing something more appropriate for summer (or for getting a cold).

“Yes.”

“Wasn’t it fifty-nine degrees last night?”

“Fifteen degrees. We use the metric system in this household.”

Ned rolled his eyes, but Peter offered his own thoughts, just as confused with her strange choice of wear.

“How come you’re not freezing?” he probed. Spider-man he may be, but Peter still felt the bite of the cold last night. If his enhanced metabolism still left him chilly, how was MJ not turning into a shivering mess? She took a bite out of her apple and gave Peter a look, like he was a child asking an elder the mysteries of the world. Which wasn’t far from the truth since it was _MJ_ he asked.

“You can’t feel the winter when your heart is colder than the ice outside.” She answered sagely. Peter could almost see the proverbial wind blowing through and bringing with it snowflakes falling gently, like something out of those Korean dramas Aunt May loved to watch. Which wouldn’t make sense since they were _inside_ the apartment.

“But it isn’t even snowing?”

MJ didn’t give an answer and simply finished her fruit before bringing out her phone, from who knows where since Peter was sure volleyball shorts didn’t have pockets large enough to hold it. But he decided to not let more questions about MJ bother him, filing it under ‘ _MJ Mysteries_ ’ in his mental file cabinet, and returned to his video.

“ _...despite the best efforts of the government, a large amount of enhanced humans managed to get smuggled through the borders every year. Most of the people are refugees seeking refuge from their home countries. Many of these countries have started brutal campaigns to rid themselves of enhanced individuals, leaving their citizens no choice but to leave their countries, their homes, just to avoid the possibility of death.”_

“What are you watching?” MJ suddenly asked, causing Peter to jump and bump his knees underneath the table. He was so engrossed by the documentary that he didn’t even notice MJ was already right next to his ear.

“Probably the man behind all his bedside woes.” That was Ned, who took up residence next to his other side and had joined her in looking at what was taking Peter’s attention. This prompted Peter to slam his phone face down on the table and glared at the two beside him.

“Space please?”

They just crowded him more. Peter let out a sigh before turning the screen, taking out the earphones, and setting the volume to max. The sound of the sea came from the speakers, mixed with the familiar bass of Eddie Brock’s voice as he narrated the documentary.

“ _Yet while this refugee crisis continues, major countries capable of providing aid have yet to respond to their call. The nation has stayed adamant with its stance on non-interference on these matters, keeping their borders closed to those seeking asylum and has continued with deporting these undocumented enhanced individuals to their home countries. The Commission on Human Rights has criticized these actions, deeming them inhumane to send them back to a place that would kill them. But the government defends its decision and has called the refugees a ‘threat to national security’._

_The decision to defend one’s national borders and to help those in need is a difficult one. But if the nation can sleep peacefully knowing that hundreds of people are being slaughtered for being who they are, it begs the question of who is the real threat to humanity. Is it those who are capable of causing great acts of destruction and choose not to? Or is it those who stand aside as the world burns around them?”_

The video ends with the screen fading to black and a number and website that goes to a donation page to help spread awareness and give aid to the refugees mentioned in the documentary. A bunch of pictures of the different refugees followed, at which point Peter closed the video and turned to the two at his side.

“You happy now?”

MJ was the first to reply. “So you were watching Eddie Brock again. And here I thought you just developed a thing for international politics.”

“You should take this as a chance to learn more about social issues. It’s good education for being an Avenger,” Ned supplied. “If you’re gonna be obsessed with Eddie Brock, might as well get something useful out of it.”

“Get wet _and_ get educated.”

Peter glared at MJ, then Ned, then pouted. “I’m not obsessed with him. I just have a crush. And I have learned something from what I’ve been watching thank you very much”

“Is it the way the sunlight makes his skin glisten like diamonds?” Ned fake-swooned, hand on forehead and all.

“It’s probably how Eddie Brock’s chest would feel underneath his fingertips.” MJ said, joining the teasing.

“Or maybe the way his voice sounds like dark chocolate to the ears.”

“Or how his eyes could undress you with the intensity of their gaze.”

“Maybe it’s the way his body is sculpted out of marble, like a statue of the Greek gods.”

“The broadness of his shoulders, the firmness of his chest.”

“His flat stomach, his strong arms.”

“The length and thickness of his-“

“MJ, OH MY GOD!” Peter shouted in mortification. Said woman raised an eyebrow at him, her trademark ‘ _you’re surprised bitch?’_ look. Ned, the unhelpful jerk, was busy laughing himself silly and was gripping the table to keep himself from falling. Peter was too busy sputtering to think of something witty in reply.

“Well Peter was having a great dream last night, if the moans from his room were anything to go by.”

“Damn, he must have been good.”

“We are not discussing this! We didn’t even do anything!”

“So you were dreaming about him?”

Peter scowled at the two, who had the gall to give him innocent smiles. Or Ned at least. MJ was giving him her ‘ _bitch I knew_ ’ smirk. Peter rolled his eyes at the two and simply went back to his breakfast. The two decided to finally leave him in peace. A sudden notification sound had Peter looking at his phone before suddenly shouting.

“Finally!”

The sudden exclamation caught the attention of MJ and Ned and they saw him finish his breakfast quickly, drop the bowls and utensils in the sink, and disappear to his room before coming out a few minutes later carrying his Spider-man suit.

“You going out to patrol?” Ned asked.

 “Yeah. But I waited for something.” Peter answered as stuffed his suit in his bag.

“Waited for what?”

Peter lifted his mask and gave them a smug smirk. “A tip.”

Ned opened his mouth, probably about to make a joke about Eddie’s tip, but Peter talked before he could. “A tip from Spidey-bot. You know that drone that’s part of my Spidey suit?”

Ned nodded in agreement. Peter began fiddling with his phone as he continued. “Well there was a rumor going around about suspicious activity in the docks. I needed to check it out so I sent out Spidey-bot to monitor any activity and BAM!” he exclaimed then turned the screen towards them. “I got a hit.”

Ned and MJ took a closer step and swiped through a bunch of shots of black vans in an abandoned dock, a bunch of thugs carrying guns, and the blurry picture of a man. Large build, wearing a dark suit, the man made for an imposing figure. His pale white skin and hair was an unusual sight already, but the unusual sharp teeth made him seem even more frightening. And very familiar.

“Hey isn’t that Tombstone?” Ned asked.

“Yep. Our favorite albino Corleone. Except he’s not Italian.”

“So what’s going on in the docks to warrant a crime boss’ attention?” MJ inquired.

At this, Peter’s face took on a grim expression. “That I haven’t confirmed. But if what I heard was right, then possible human trafficking.”

Ned let out a gasped in surprise at the news while MJ narrowed her eyes, an inquisitive gleam in them, as she asked, “How can you be sure?”

“Right now I’m not. But the rumors were enough to catch my attention. Just had to ask around a bit to find out something fishy was going on.”

“Who’s behind it?”

“That’s what I’m gonna find out. The only thing I’m sure of is that big people are involved if Tombstone is there. The type that police couldn’t touch.”

A moment of silence passed where Peter finished stuffing his mask into his bag when MJ spoke up.

“That video,” said MJ “about the smuggling. This was it wasn’t it?”

“I don’t know but it’s possible.”

“Was that why you were watching it? Because they might be smuggling enhanced humans into New York?” Ned asked.

“Actually I was rewatching. The video was what gave me the idea in the first place. Mixed with the rumors I kept hearing, I just had to check it out. But yeah, that’s a possibility.”

“Are you gonna stop them? Bringing in refugees into the country?” asked MJ. There was something in her eyes as she said it, a sort of intensity there, like she was waiting. Like she was analyzing Peter’s words, dissecting them to try bring out the truth. Almost like she was weighing what he had to say.

The question made Peter pause.

“...I’m gonna stop any illegal and dangerous activity I see,” he answered honestly. “For now, I’m going to patrol. And later I’ll take a look at the situation. I’ll need to find out who’s responsible and why they’re doing it. I doubt they’re letting the people in out of the goodness of their hearts”

MJ kept up the intensity of her gaze and made a questioning sound, before looking away. Peter felt like he should have said something else but didn’t know what. Well, whatever it was could wait. Right now he had hero work.

He waved goodbye to his friends and proceeded to climb to the roof deck. In the early morning, the roof would be bathed in the shadows of the nearby buildings which helped in keeping him hidden as he changed into his suit in one of the many hidden alcoves. A few moments later he was swinging through the New York skyline, ready to stop crime. But as he made his morning rounds, MJ’s question kept bouncing in his brain.

 

* * *

 

 

It was night time when Peter arrived at the dock. After a day of patrol and classes, he finally managed to check out the location where the smuggling was possibly happening. This late at night, most of the port was already empty. And in this very secluded dock, Peter could definitely believe that suspicious things were happening here. The small dock was surrounded on all sides by large shipping containers, high enough that anyone accidentally looking in the general direction wouldn’t notice when ships would arrive there. It was also far enough from the main port that any sea traffic wouldn’t be that well monitored. And judging by the age of the shipping containers, the dock wasn’t that well used at all. A perfect spot for any illegal activity like smuggling people into the country.

But whether or not that was the case was something Peter had yet to find out. Because right now nothing was happening. The dock was still empty. No one had come in yet. It was beginning to leave Peter tense. His drone last pictured Tombstone in this area last time. But right now, all Peter could see was empty concrete and the black water of the Atlantic Ocean. The night wasn’t working with him either. It just so happened to be a new moon, bathing the dock in darkness. There weren’t any street lights either. The only reason Peter could even see was thanks to his overly sensitive vision and the suit with its built in night vision.

“Hey what time is it Karen?” Peter whispered. The dock was deathly quiet, the sounds of the city having faded into the night, so far away and leaving him in silence.

“ _It’s 12:59 am. I have to remind you Peter that you still have classes at 8 am tomorrow._ ” She replied calmly. Peter sighed. She

“I know. But I have to deal with this first. If Tombstone’s involved, then it’s something really bad.”

“ _Shouldn’t you have asked for assistance from the Avengers then since Tombstone is high level crime lord?_ ” she inquired.

“Well yeah I could have. But this is local business. It falls under my jurisdiction. Can’t bother the Avengers with this.” Peter answered, a little uncomfortable with the idea of asking Captain America and Mr. Stark help with a local crime boss.

“ _Are you still insecure calling for help since you believe that you have to still prove your worth as the youngest Avenger?_ ”

Wait how did Karen figure that out? “What? No that’s not- What even gave you that idea?”

“ _MJ has advised me to, in her own words, keep you out of your self-depreciating bullshit. Also I’m your personal AI. I am familiar with your thought processes_ ”

“Since when do you and MJ ta-” Peter’s words were suddenly cut off when the familiar buzz of his Spidey sense came to life. He instantly put up his guard.

“Karen is Tombstone nearby?”

“The drone hasn’t detected any other people in the area. No vehicles of any kind have been seen since it’s last sweep.”

So Tombstone wasn’t here? Then what caused his Spidey sense to act up?

“Then we need to prepare. Either Tombstone can turn invisible or we got someone else with us.”

The darkness of the dock made hiding easy for him. And for anyone else who wanted to sneak up on him. He might have enhanced eyesight and a six sense for danger but he’d rather not get another black eye. He needed to deal with the extra guy. But he also needed to keep an eye out for Tombstone and the possible shipment of people that he still needed to figure out.

Wait a minute, Spidey-bot!

“Karen is Spidey-bot still active? My Spidey sense is telling me something’s coming. I need the extra eyes.” 

“ _Spidey-bot has just finished its sweep of the south side. Shall I send them here to scout the area for Tombstone?_ ”

“Yeah go do that.”

“ _Understood_.”

Peter crawled carefully along the shipping container’s top as Karen directed the drone. His Spidey sense kept on buzzing lowly, meaning that he wasn’t in any immediate danger but something was still close enough to be of concern. But he couldn’t pinpoint where the source was. Keeping all of his senses open, he tried his best to scope out something amongst the shadows of the dark.

“Karen how’s the sweep coming along?” he asked the AI. The continued nothing from his senses except his Spidey senses was making him nervous.

“ _Still nothing Peter. No activity has been seen since the last time._ ” Karen replied, calm and smooth.

“Well hopefully whoever's here with us should get a move on. The suspense is killing me.”

**“Such a shame. We like the suspense.”**

The growling voice from behind caused Peter to jump in the air. Turning around, he saw nothing behind him except shadows.

“Karen. Did you hear that?” he asked the AI wide eyed under his mask.

“ _Yes I did Peter. Scanning now_.”

Peter stood stock still, hair standing on end and blood still pumping loudly in his ears, trying to see through the darkness for whoever spoke. But whoever it was remained stubbornly hidden, which just made Peter anxious. And then something shifted.

Something dark, darker than the shadows between the shipping containers, moved. It was almost imperceptible to Peter’s enhanced vision, the blob of black that walked slowly towards him. His Spidey senses, that was buzzing lowly before, had begun to scream loudly in his mind. The dark thing slowly got bigger and bigger as it got closer. A few steps more and it was close enough for Peter to realize that it was _tall._ A lot taller than Peter’s humble 5’8. And it moved silently. Whatever it was stalking towards him was quiet as a cat but was setting his Spidey sense ablaze with _runrunrunrunrunrunrunrun_. But his limbs were locked in place. He couldn’t raise his arms to shoot his web. He couldn’t move his legs to get away. He was paralyzed by the presencethat was slowly prowling towards him.

Peter mentally cursed how inconvenient the timing of the new moon, that the dock they had to pick had no electrical lighting whatsoever, and that he was face to face with something that he can barely see.

“ _Activating night vision_.”

Oh yeah, the suit could do that. His vision was filled with green as it switched visual modes. Kind of hard to remember that his suit had built in night vision when his eyes could usually do the job. But now he wasn’t sure he wanted to see once the night vision was activated.

He first noticed the black skin. Its skin looked oily, like it was covered in a sheen of slime. Or like its body was made out of tar. Its body was muscularly built. Large muscular limbs, a chest that looked bigger than his arm span. Wicked claws decorated its large hands. But the scariest part was his face. Large, pupil-less eyes stared back at him. A mouth filled with razor sharp fangs was curled into a smile. Peter felt a shiver down his spine as it grinned at him.

 **“Did we scare you little spider?”** the creature asked, still smiling, voice rumbling like an earthquake.

Peter couldn’t think, too busy trying not to piss himself. His fear addled mind could only muster one thing.

“Wh-what are you?” he whispered, heart racing in his chest.

It smiled wider, a large slimy tongue slithering out of the mouth that split its face.

**“We are Venom.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you've reached the end!!
> 
> How was my attempt at writing a bit of horror? 
> 
> Okay it wasn't really scary but I tried. Any comments, questions, criticisms, and suggestions will be appreciated. 
> 
> Thanks for sticking to this story!


	5. So do you hangout in crime scenes often?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me long enough to get this posted. Now this chapter was an exercise of patience because of how much I wanted to not write it and just get started on the fluffy stuff but I also needed plot so there you go. It literally took me weeks just to get started on it. But I'm so happy that I can finally post!!
> 
> Also I did my best to have lot's of fun Peter x Venom interactions so I hope I did well.
> 
> Thanks for waiting!

**“We are Venom.”** The creature voiced. It still had that scary smile on his face that kept Peter shaking on the spot, rational thought flying out the window.

“Wh-what?” he finally squeaked.

**“We are called Venom, little spider.”**

It was a testament to how out of it Peter was, and of his questionable self-preservation skills, thanks to the combination of anxiety, fear, and adrenaline in his system that the first thing that popped into his mind was, “What kind of name is Venom?”

Peter’s eyes widened and he let out a small ‘eep!’ of distress once he realized the sheer _stupidity_ what he just did. He covered his mouth in reflex, an action that was little too late to stop the offense he had already verbalized. Did he just insult the name of the very large, very scary creature that was standing right before him? Yes, he did. Was it a good idea to vocalize his thoughts on the very large and very scary creature’s name? Absolutely not. Was he borderline suicidal or just plain dumb? Verdict still unsure on that one chief.

Apparently he didn’t find it very offensive because Venom just gave low snicker, a rumbling sound like the purr of a jungle cat. So maybe Peter gets to live another day?

 **“Yes, Venom is my name little spider. A name I am very much proud of.”** Venom said in an almost growling voice. He didn’t sound angry with the large grin on its face, but Peter wasn’t an expert on inhuman facial expressions so he couldn’t be sure.

Okay, maybe he was gonna die tonight.

“I think- I think it’s a very cool name!” Peter whisper-shouted in a rush, limbs still locked in place no matter how hard Peter was forcing himself to move. Venom slowly crouched forward, low enough that Peter could feel its breath on his mask-covered face.

 _“Peter your heart rate is very high. Calm down.”_ Karen suddenly spoke up in a calm voice. Peter momentarily forgot she was there and almost jumped. Which was a bad idea since Venom was close enough that he could chomp Peter’s head off.

 **“Don’t worry little spider, we’re not gonna bite.”** Venom purred. The way he said it could almost pass for something seductive if it weren’t for the mouth filled with sharp knives. Peter felt his heart rate spike at the large, and frankly, creepy grin. But then Venom was moving away, standing to his full height. The small distance gained made Peter give out a small sigh of relief.

 **“So what is Spider-man doing all the way out here?”** Venom’s question came out as a deep rumble that made Peter wonder if the guy had a car engine for a voice box.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Peter puffed, deepening his voice and crossing his arms across his chest to retain some semblance of the confident superhero persona and not the scared college student he actually was. Under his breath, he discreetly whispered, “Hey Karen, can you give me anything on who this guy is?”

_“Already on it Peter”_

“It’s not a normal thing for me to see guys like you around here.” Peter continued as he waited for Karen to get to work. Peter could see Venom cock his head, night vision bathing him in green through his mask. Which actually brought him back to the question of _what the hell is Venom?_

“Wait, _are_ you a guy?” He asked. Was it a he? She? Robot from the future? Asexual alien goop monster? Which wasn’t the most important question at the moment but Peter’s adrenaline filled brain was running a mile a minute so sue him.

 **“Yes I am. And too answer your question little spider, we are here for business.”** He answered smoothly. Peter’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“And your business here includes what exactly?” he asked boldly, fear momentarily forgotten. The show of bravery seemed to please Venom because he suddenly purred and gave Peter a creepy smile.

**“We have a feeling that you already know.”**

“No not really. I can walk on walls, not read minds.”

 **“Hmm.”** Venom hummed, before starting to circle him. Peter took on a ready stance, hands poised to web the other guy in case he attacked.

 **“We’re here because of rumors of suspicious activity. How about you?”** Venom replied, still walking around him. Peter watched him prowl and followed his movements, muscles clenched in preparation for any sudden attack.

“I heard of something going on. Came here to check it out.” He replied, voice hard, muscles tense like a bow string.

 _“I found no records of any individual known as ‘Venom’ Peter.”_ Karen suddenly said. _“I was only able to find reports about a similar looking creature from San Francisco that was related to the Life Foundation disaster a few years prior.”_

A small segment of a newspaper appeared on the screen of his mask. Keeping his eyes on Venom, Peter quickly scanned for any relevant information that could help him identify what he was up against. The only thing the article said was that something was seen scurrying in the launch pad of the Life Foundation. Beyond that were multiple pictures of a creature causing destruction in San Francisco that looked like Venom. A search for any other, more relevant information lead to thing. All the other sources Karen found had nothing on whatever Venom was. This wasn’t looking good.

“ **So you do know already. About Tombstone.”**

Venom knew about Tombstone. Was the guy after him too? Or was Venom working for Tombstone? Peter tensed up at the thought. He didn’t know anything about the guy in front of him. Not knowing was a bad thing in his business. If he just happened to be working with Tombstone, he was going to need a strategy quickly. His tension must have caught Venom’s attention despite the darkness of the dock because he chuckled mirthfully before stopping in front of him once again.

“ **Lighten up spider, we’re on your side. We want to stop the bad guys too.”** Venom assured him. Peter wasn’t comforted in the slightest.

“Really? And the freaking me out and threatening to eat me part was all for show?”

**“Of course.”**

“May I ask why?” Peter asked, equal parts suspicious and agitated, with a hint of exasperated.

 **“Because it was funny.”** The other said with a wicked yet clearly tame smile.

Peter did not agree and grumbled his dissent. **“** No it wasn’t.”

 **“Oh relax. We aren’t going to eat you.”** Venom joked. It wasn’t really appreciated, not in the least bit because of the mini heart attacks he already experienced. Plus, Peter could still feel the hum of his spidey sense, not loud yet incredibly buzzing under his skin like a constant itch, unsure of the danger Venom now possesses but had no questions with his capacity to _be_ dangerous. His attention was brought back caught once again by Venom speaking up once more.

 **“Not unless you want us too.”** Venom said in a light tone, adding a wink at the end. The strange comment and wink threw Peter out a loop and he was left looking at Venom in confusion.

_What did it mean by ‘unless I wanted to’? Did Venom mean that ‘unless I wanted him to eat-_

And then the comment finally registered, causing Peter to blush profusely under his suit.

“Excuse me?!” Peter squawked loudly. Venom gave a soft yet echoing laugh that Peter could almost feel reverberate through him. Venom crossed his massive arms and grinned down at him. If he wasn’t in the middle of staking out a possible site of human trafficking, he would have found the situation funny and mortifying. A 10ft tall black goop monster was flirting with him. Honestly what was his life.

“Can we please focus on the fact that we’re here for Tombstone?” Peter hissed quietly, remembering that he was on a _stealth_ mission for God’s sakes. A mission that was being rudely interrupted by a David Cronenberg suit prop who liked to flirt. Venom gave him another smirk before acquiescing.

“ **Okay Spider-man. We came here because rumors were floating of Tombstone and his friends doing business here. That means something big and something bad is happening.”** Peter nodded in affirmation, already knowing this part.

“So why are you interested? Did Tombstone hurt your girlfriend or something?”

**“I’m here for the same reason you are.”**

“Oh? What’s that then?”

 **“To stop him.”** Venom said simply, like talking about the weather.

“So you’re some kind of vigilante? You know that’s illegal right?”

“ **And yet you’re here, an unregistered superhero waiting to thwart Tombstone’s evil plans.”**

Okay, point taken. Even though the Avengers had gotten back and Spider-man became part of them, Peter never disclosed his full identity. Sure he shared it with the Avengers since they were practically his work mates (and trying to hide something from Natasha was just asking for trouble). But that didn’t mean he had to share it with the public. Despite the rules of the Accords, Spider-man had yet to divulge his public identity to the government. He was technically breaking the law, only nobody arrested him since he managed to ensure that the super freaks of New York didn’t turn the city to ashes.

“Fine. So we’re both vigilantes. But that doesn’t answer my question. What’s your interest with Tombstone’s operation here?”

**“If you already know who Tombstone is, then we don’t have to explain why it’s important.”**

That Peter totally agreed with. Tombstone was one of the most dangerous criminals in the West Coast and currently had an iron grip on most of the mobs in New York. The only reason he wasn’t behind bars was that he was too clandestine. Tombstone’s operations in New York, his own backyard, was too underground that not even Peter knew how extensive it got. Add the fact that he had so much influence and hands in so many pockets made him even more dangerous. He understood perfectly what he was up against. But still.

“That doesn’t answer my question. Sorry buddy, can’t help but be suspicious.”

**“We understand spider. But have a little faith when we say that we want to stop whatever criminal activities he has here just as much as you do.”**

So Venom wasn’t aware of what Tombstone was doing here then? That meant that Peter had a leg up against Venom, something that slightly comforted him. But should he share his intel? After all, Venom did say he was after the guy as well. The fact that he had nothing on Venom made it even harder to trust him. But miracles could happen, so maybe?

**“Why don’t we work together Spider-man?”**

“What?” Peter asked.

**“Work together. You’re already here, and for the same reasons as we are. We see nothing wrong of the two of us teaming up.”**

Did he honestly think he would just agree? To work with a stranger, a thing that he wasn’t even sure counted as human?

**“It’s less stress to you to have us as back up than fight us _and_ deal with Tombstone. And we can assure you we can be quite the handful.”**

Peter simply said nothing and stared at Venom with scowling eyes. Large eyes of pure white and no pupils stared back, paired with a giant creepy smile. In times like this, what would the Avengers do in this situation?

_Confront the guy. Make him leave. Try to subdue him if need be. Get into a large fight with lots of collateral damage. And work together with him afterwards._

Okay, maybe he could skip the first four steps.

He let out a silent groan and, hoping that he wasn’t going to regret this, decided _why not?_ It’s not like he couldn’t take the guy if it came to it. He did survive almost becoming barbequed superhero.

 **“** Fine. Just, don’t get in the way I guess. I wouldn’t want the extra work.” Peter really didn’t want to try arresting Venom, especially since he was as big as the Hulk.

“ **You will realize that we can handle ourselves all on our own.”**

Ok not exactly what Peter was trying to say, but who cares.

 **“** I heard that Tombstone might be trafficking enhanced people through here.” Peter supplied as a change of subject. Better to put them on track.

 **“Oh? We just thought they were smuggling goods. Turns out they’re doing something much worse.”** The way Venom said it, tongue flicking out and smiling widely, almost made it seem that he was eager. That the very idea of Tombstone and his gang doing worse than petty smuggling was something to celebrate. God he was regretting this already.

“Err... yeah... Anyways I’m here to check out if there’s anything I could use as proof.”

“ **We’ve scoped the area. There’s nothing of worth here.”** This caught Peter by surprise. How long had Venom been here in the first place?

“Well, I wasn’t expecting that either. I was just waiting for Tombstone to make an appearance.” Peter told Venom, settling himself down on the shipping container, senses strained on both Venom and the empty dock.

 **“Then maybe we can wait together.”** Venom was suddenly sitting right next to Peter. There was at least two feet of space between them but Peter, still a bit jumpy, startled at the sudden movement. It was like one moment Venom was on the other side of the container and then suddenly he was right beside Peter, all quiet and silent.

“Um, ok?” Peter said awkwardly, trying to discreetly increase the distance between them. Hey, he had personal space issues.

And there they sat in silence, the two of them watching the pitch black dock for any signs of incoming ships, goons in suits driving big black vans, or albino mob bosses. Peter discretely asked Karen for the time, her replying that it was already 1:45 am and ‘ _Peter it’s time for you to sleep’_.

Venom stayed silent beside him, barely moving an inch. In the gloom of the night, Venom blended perfectly well with the shadows even with the night vision. And with him so stull, Peter wouldn’t have known he was there at all. It made Peter wonder if he was high or something when he agreed to work together.

“So...” Peter began awkwardly. “I hope this doesn’t offend you...”

He saw Venom turn his head towards him, mouth smiling though teeth hidden, much to his relief. Peter coughed lightly, debating whether to proceed with the question. Venom simply cocked his head like a curious dog, and the image was enough for Peter to move forward. “What exactly are you?”

Venom blinked at him in silence. He wasn’t glaring which was a good sign that Peter hadn’t pissed him of yet. Or maybe he just didn’t understand the question? “I mean I know you’re a guy. And that you’re big. But like, what _are_ you? Government experiment gone wrong? Supernatural beast from another dimension? Alien parasite that fell to earth-”

“ **We are not a parasite!”** Venom growled, suddenly inches from Peter’s face. Peter was left scrambling away, spidey sense ablaze, and hand ready to swing out of there.

 **“** Woah chill big guy! I didn’t mean it. Is that a bad word? Sorry.” Peter said frantically. For a moment, thought that he might have to fight the guy, Venom glaring at him and lips curled into a snarl. But Venom slowly backed away, looking less ready to commit murder and more grumbling in irritation. In a weird way, it reminded Peter of an irritated toddler, a 10ft toddler that looked like he could bench press a truck. Peter was suddenly struck with an image of a pouting Venom in diapers.

It took a few moments for Venom ease up on the glare. “ **Just don’t use that again. We don’t like that word.”**

Peter nodded rapidly, barely containing a sigh of relief. **“** Okay. Understood.” Peter picked at his glove awkwardly. He coughed lightly in his hand before he continued. “So what are you then?”

Venom gave him a toothy smile, bad mood quickly forgotten. **“A creature not from here. You could say I’m from outer space.”**

“Wait really?! Like you’re not joking? You’re for real an alien?” Peter squealed, doing a full 180 from awkward to enthusiastic. He was understandably excited at this news. Forgetting that he was talking to a large alien with very sharp teeth, he was suddenly crossing the small space between them, vibrating in excitement.

Venom simply laughed, a pleased tone at the younger hero’s enthusiasm. “ **Yes. We are an alien from another galaxy. We journeyed here through one of your ships who came in contact with our world.”**

“Did you come here to take over the world? Did it not work because we had the Avengers?” Peter whisper-shouted excitedly, eyes of his mask as wide as his own underneath.

Venom made a face that looked like he was raising an eyebrow, if he had any. Or maybe he was snarling? His lip was curled back after all. Peter couldn’t tell. “ **We would have done it by now if we wanted to little spider, just so you know.”**

 **“** Did you come here in peace then? Like share your knowledge and try to learn from us?”

Venom hummed quietly. “ **Not really. When we arrived here, we didn’t exactly have...diplomatic intentions.”**

“So world domination then?” A classic alien plot. Did he have to call the Avengers though?

“ **No. At least not anymore.”** Now that stopped Peter’s thoughts on having Venom arrested. Head tilted, Peter voiced his curiosity.

“What changed your mind?”

 **“I met someone who changed my point of view.”** Venom replied, an expression on his face that Peter could have described as almost fond. It was so adorable, Peter had to call him out on it.

“Awww. Did you fall in love? Like an alien version of Twilight?”

Through the night vision, Peter could see Venom’s skin crawl. Literally. “ **Please don’t compare us to Twilight.”** Venom said in disgust.

“Hey Twilight is not that bad.” Peter defended. He actually liked the book series despite how trashy they were. Venom clearly didn’t share the same sentiment because he just made a face in revulsion.

“I mean yeah it had a very terrible romance, and had weird backward ideas on love, plus Bella was practically worthless throughout most of the series. But they had really cool vampires!” Peter tried to explain. Sue him for liking trash.

“ **The vampires had glittering skin. Why is that cool?”**

“Because they’re made of stone and can’t burn in the sun.” How was that not cool? “Their only weakness is fire which is the weakness of practically everything else.”

“ **We hate Twilight. So please stop talking about it.”** Venom ended the conversation at that and turned away to stare at the empty dock. They lapsed into silence for a while, the sound of the ocean waves filling the quiet. It was only when a quiet hum came from Peter that Venom looked.

 **“What?”** Venom asked.

“Why do you do that?” Peter asked unexpectedly.

**“Do what?”**

“Whenever you refer to yourself, you always use ‘we’. The entire time we were talking, you kept using ‘we’. The only time I heard you use ‘I’ was when I asked you about what changed your plans for Earth.”

Venom simply gave him a condescending smirk.

“ **That’s a secret.”**

Peter gave a frustrated groan. **“** Come on,” Peter whined.

**“Nope.”**

“Please?”

**“No.”**

“Pretty please?”

**“Not gonna change my mind no matter how pretty that please is.”**

“Fine,” Peter pouted. “I’ll respect your privacy,” he grumbled under his breath. He finally got to talk to another alien that wasn’t Thor, and it just so happened to be the one with a tendency to mess with him.

Venom took in the hero’s indignant posture and asked, “ **Why are you so intent on finding out?”**

Peter let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head shyly before answering.

“It’s just that you’re an alien. And I don’t always get to talk to aliens. The only alien I do get to talk to is Thor, his brother, and his friends. And they all look human so it’s not much of a change.”

He turned to Venom then, eyes almost alight with curiosity even under the mask.

“But you? You’re different. You’re unique. And I’m just so curious to learn more.”

Venom gave him a searching look before asking, “ **And why should I trust you?”**

“Because I’m Spider-man?” said Peter in tone that clearly said that it was obvious. Not to Venom apparently. Said alien just looked down at Peter.

“ **I wasn’t born yesterday little spider. Information is valuable. Trust even more so.”**

“Dude, I’m a superhero. I’m literally the most trustworthy person ever.”

**“Yet I don’t personally know you. You may be a trusted superhero, but you’re a stranger to me. What if you find out something about me that makes you sic the Avengers on me?”**

Okay, point taken. But still.

“The only reason I could possibly do that is if you did something illegal. I’m not gonna randomly arrest you just because you’re an alien.” Peter voiced in a tone that showed how dumb the notion was to him.

**“Maybe. Still, we prefer keeping it close to the vest. We’re not all used to being treated with respect.”**

Peter winced at the comment, which was thankfully hidden by the mask. He didn’t actually garner respect at the beginning. That came after long hours of hero work proved that he was serious about what he was doing. Still, he could remember a time when police officers would try to arrest him thinking he was a lunatic in pajamas.

“I understand. Sorry for prying.”

**“None taken.”**

There was a moment of silence between them where the only sounds Peter could hear was the lull of ocean waves and the far of noise of New York. Peter felt himself slowly relax as time wore on. He thought he would have been tense all night with an alien right beside him but their conversations had slowly put him at ease enough that he wasn’t even crouching anymore but sitting comfortably on the container. He could feel his eyelids get heavier and was reminded how late it already was. Guess he was just gonna sleep in between classes. Again. Ugh.

A sudden burst of his spidey sense had Peter lose all his sleepiness. He shifted positions from to crouching again, ready to leap into action. He saw Venom look towards him, head cocked to the side.

“ **What are you doing little spider?”**

Peter deigned to reply and instead open his senses to catch anything.

_“Peter, Spidey-bot detected 2 black SUV’s and a nondescript truck is headed to our direction. They’re still 8 minutes away.”_

Ah. So they were here.

“Someone’s coming.” He answered Venom, attention focused around him. He wasn’t picking anything up from his hearing and nothing was appearing through the night vision. He heard Venom shift beside him. Looking back, he saw Venom shift positions so that he was on all fours. For a split second, he reminded Peter of a black panther, ready to pounce.

 **“How did you know?”** Venom asked, shifting his gaze to catch something in the darkness.

“Drone. Been flying around trying to see where Tombstone would come from. It detected 3 SUV’s headed here.”

Peter turned his attention to his AI. “Karen is Tombstone with them?” He asked, spidey sense starting buzz loudly in the back

 **“** _Scanning now.”_ Karen replied. After a few moments, his AI spoke up again. _“Scans confirmed presence of 12 assailants. Heavy firearms detected. No sign of Tombstone though.”_

A live feed appeared in his vision, showing a scan of the interiors of the cars. Peter cursed. He’ll just have to interrogate the thugs then, he decided. Though he doubted that it would lead to anything useful.

“How far are they Karen?”

_“ETA is in 4 minutes.”_

**“They’re getting close.”**

Peter looked at Venom in surprise.

“Wait did you hear?”

 **“I sensed them. You’re not the only one with extra senses little spider.”** He replied. Then a smirk bloomed on his face, showing of his large teeth. **“Though, I doubt that they’ll pose a challenge**.”

Peter almost rolled his eyes but decided to simply keep his focus on preparing for the possible fight. He didn’t have to wait long. Five minutes later saw bright beams of headlights piercing the veil of darkness around them, followed by the arrival of the SUV’s and the truck. The sudden brightness had Peter turn off his night vision. Their engines rumbled in the quiet of the dock, soft enough to not be noticeable from the outside but loud enough that Peter almost covered his ears from the sudden change in decibel, even from his vantage point from far away.

Finally, the cars made their appearance. Like black metal beetles skittering in the dark, the SUV’s drove into the empty clearing and parked just beside the actual dock itself, bordering the wooden structure on both sides. The truck followed just behind them, black all around. Two pairs of headlights suddenly went out, along with the sound of their engines The truck’s headlights remained open and directed at the open sea. Even though it got darker, Peter had enough light to see the thugs coming out.

Stereotypical burly goons stepped out of the vehicles, wearing usual criminal couture of black leather jackets, black sweaters and shirts, and black boots like they all decided to shop at Hot Topic. Peter could even see some shaved heads and large tattoos peeking out of their shirts. He wanted to almost tsk at their lack of creativity. Not that Peter minded, but couldn’t they have at least tried to dress up in something that didn’t scream ‘suspicious gang member’?

_“Peter, Spidey-bot just picked up a ship coming up by the dock. ETA is 10 minutes.”_

A live feed suddenly appeared in his vision, showing a shipping boat silently moving across the water. It didn’t have any lights on, keeping a low profile so no one would notice. Too bad they didn’t expect the arrival of a superhero.

“Can Spidey-bot get a closer look Karen?”

“ _Not without compromising its position. I did however take the liberty of scanning the ship for the possible location of the victims.”_

The live feed suddenly switched to showing infrared images of the ship. Even the Spidey-bot was far away, Peter could still see the people on board. A few figures were moving around in one room, which he assumed was the bridge. The rest of the ship showed some momentary movement of assorted people moving about. But it was one area in particular that caught his eye. A group bodies were huddled close together near what looked like a cargo hold near the center of the ship. There were a lot of them, packed in just one place. He had no doubt who those were.

Movement below caught his eye, and Peter saw the gathering of bad guys suddenly bring out guns from their car. Ah, those must be the heavy firepower Karen saw. Looks like it was time to get the party started. He looked towards Venom, poised to attack any second and crawled towards the other. Venom looked at him questioningly.

“The ship’s about to arrive soon,” he told the alien. Venom looked at the group below, holding their weapons at the ready, and towards the open sea, trying to find the ship hiding in the darkness. Peter wondered if he could actually see the ship headed towards them with his alien eyes. “The victims look like they’re hiding in the cargo. I counted 5 bad guys in the ship. Not sure if they have guns though.”

Peter then turned to Venom. The other noticed him staring and turned to him as well. Peter gave a searching look in Venom’s empty white eyes and said, “If we’re gonna do this, work together I mean, I’m going to need you to promise me something.”

Curious, the alien cocked his head tot eh side. **“What is it then little Spider?”**

“Promise me that you’re gonna put the lives of the people above anything else. No putting anyone in unnecessary danger.” Peter’s voice took on a serious tone as he said this. “Since I don’t know what you can do, I’ll just give you the job of dealing with the bad guys. I’ll make sure the people can get out safely and subdue anyone in the way. Remember, their safety is the most important thing here.”

Venom gazed back at him silently, before smiling. He brought his hand up to his chest, like he was taking a pledge, and answered, “ **Of course Spider-man. Can’t be much of a rescue if they’re all dead.”**

Peter wondered for the nth time if this was a good idea, and decided to think of it later when Karen told him that the ship was only 5 minutes away. He checked his web shooters one more time before turning back to the crowd below him.

“Get ready,” he told his companion.

The answering smile Peter got sent shivers down his spine.

**“Showtime.”**

 

* * *

 

 

Robbie felt himself stir from his fitful sleep by the sound of movement outside. He tried to stretch in the cramp space of the shipping container, trying his best not to elbow the people right next to him. He blinked the exhaustion from his eyes, which wasn’t much since he couldn’t remember when he wasn’t tired or drained ever since they got on this stupid boat. He wondered, not for the first time, how he found himself here.

_People crying out in fear. The sound of police sirens. His rapid breaths as he kept on running. Him asking his friends for help. Him begging his family, that they’re after him, that he didn’t mean to, that it was an accident, that he needs help. They scream. The door breaking. The heat in his hands going out of control. And then fire. Fire everywhere. Burning and burning and burning and they’re all dead, oh God they’re all dead, mama I’m sorry. Papa please, I don’t want to go. Oh god, what had he done. I’m sorry I’m sorry, please let me out, help helphelpohgodsomebodyhelpme_

“Wake up freaks.” A voice came from the now open doors of the shipping container. Robbie squinted at the sudden brightness of their flashlights. He could see seven guys, all in black, in front of the entrance, big guys that look like they lift his slim 18-year-old body like cardboard. They all had sneers on their faces that made Robbie’s skin crawl. A gangster with a shaved head barked orders for them to get out. No one did, still trying to get their bearings with the sudden change.  One of the brutes got impatient and started pulling at one of them brutally. The man, whom Robbie recognized was from Brunei, let out a cry for help, yet still no one moved out of fear. Robbie himself was trembling.

“If you stupid fuckers don’t get a move on,” the man with the shaved head growled, “we’re gonna shoot you’re fucking faces and dump your sorry asses into the ocean.”

If Robbie was a braver man, he would have found the threat funny. It would have been more effective if they could actually understand what you were saying, Robbie thought. Then one of the guys brought out a gun and Robbie decided to stay quiet. They walked out of the shipping container as a procession of miserable expatriates, moaning from the brightness of the headlights. Robbie was busy covering his eyes from the light, which was why he didn’t notice the commotion behind until he was suddenly shoved to the ground.

As he lifted himself up, he saw the man from before running away from them. He heard loud shouts all around him, three of the men with guns running after the Bruneian. The men who stayed behind pointed their guns at their group. Everyone cried out. The men were shouting louder to “ _Get down freaks!”_ and “ _If any of you move, we’re gonna blow your fucking heads in!”_ Robbie could feel cotton in hears and his heart racing and heat in his hands, and the heat is fire and oh god not again, not again, he has to stop it, they’re going to die, they have guns and they’re all going to die-

There was a loud shout and suddenly the three men who ran after the guy reappeared. Or rather, they were bodily thrown into the clearing, covered in white rope.

“Now while I don’t like it when people try to leave a party early,” a voice came from above, “I’m pretty sure that shooting people isn’t the best way to deal with that.”

There was a sudden commotion in the darkness where the cars were parked, random shouts and gunshots that had all of them tensing on the spot. The four gangsters that were visible to Robbie raised their guns to the darkness, shouting and cursing loudly, before a body was thrown to the clearing. The remaining gangster pointed their guns and let loose, faces less angry and more afraid, trying to find the source of the disturbance. Robbie looked back at the subdued gangsters and realized something. That wasn’t rope that kept them bound. It was white and thick, it’s appearance reminding him of glue. Or, as Robbie took note of the fiber-like texture, spider webs. Robbie’s eyes widened.

There was only one person who used that.

Suddenly, all their weapons were yanked from their hands, pulled by thin tendrils of silk. They started scrambling for handguns that were hidden in their jackets, but before they could whip them out, a figure emerged from the darkness. Moving swiftly and quietly, the figure fell gracefully from some high perch in the darkness, instantly knocking out two of the assailants. The remaining two pointed their guns at him, but something shot out of the figure’s hands. It made a straight line towards the guns, which the figure used to pull the weapons away. In a quick display of acrobatics, the figure closed the distance to one of the men in a single leap, knocking the guy out with a kick to the face, while simultaneously subduing the other with another shot of spider webs. With all four assailants down, the figure finally turned to them, proudly wearing the brightly colored red and blue suit etched with a familiar symbol.

“How you doin’ folks?” Spider-man greeted them cheerfully. The sight of the familiar suit and mask made Robbie feel a relief so palpable that it he felt tears spring in his eyes. He heard a few kids cheer beside him, yelling out ‘Spider-man’ and clapping happily. A few of the adults started to whisper, still shaken by the near-death experience yet feeling the same elation at seeing the superhero. They were safe, he thought as Spider-man walked towards them and started helping them up. They were going to be okay.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter let out a sigh of relief as he checked the last one of the scared human trafficking victims, and finding them to be uninjured. He was worried that the thugs’ careless shooting might have accidentally hurt someone. But other than some severe trauma and a desperate need for a bath, they were all fine. Thank goodness for small miracles, he thought.

 _“Peter, I have just informed the police of the incident. They’ve sent a squadron to our destination._ ” Karen spoke up smoothly.

“Thanks Karen,” he replied. A bunch of kids suddenly caught his attention when they all decided to gang up on him, all of them suddenly grabbing his legs. They were pulling at him and grabbing at him and speaking so quickly in a bunch of languages Peter didn’t understand. But it was clear that, whatever they were saying, it was of gratitude because of how big the smiles were on their faces, how pure the laughter was. Sure they were yelling excited shrieks of ‘Spider-man!’ loud enough to make him wince under his mask. But Peter didn’t mind, not one bit. In fact, decided to retaliate by suddenly lifting all of them up in one big hug. Something they obviously appreciated because the kids squealed louder and giggled uncontrollably, and Peter felt warmth fill him. It was good to know that, despite the ordeal that they went through, these kids still managed to smile.

But it wasn’t just the kids. As he brought them down from his bear hug, he was immediately greeted by the adults thanking him profusely. Some were bowing, some were shaking his hand, and some were hugging him. And all of them had huge smiles on their faces as they whispered ‘Spider-man’ with reverently.

“Don’t worry everyone,” he started, using a deeper voice ala ‘Steve Rogers’, “you’re gonna be fine. I’ll make sure the police arrest these guys and you’ll all be brought back home.”

They continued thanking him, replying in other languages that weren’t English. This was when Peter realized that they might not actually understand him. This was gonna be a problem.

“Karen I think I might need some multilingual assistance.”

_“I’ve already taken the liberty of analyzing the languages and dialects they use. The appropriate translators have been dispatched with the squadron.”_

“You are a godsend Karen, thanks.”

 _“No problem Peter._ ”

He turned to from the people to check on the subdued thugs, and maybe knock out a few them if need be, when he noticed one of the victims staring at him. The teenager had a look of horror on his face as he just kept on staring at Peter. Which in turn made Peter nervous.

“You ok there?” he asked gently, trying not to spook him. This did the trick, because the guy shook his head and finally managed to talk.

“Is it true what you just said?” he asked in accented English. The strange question made Peter pause. What did he mean by that?

“Is it true you’re calling the police? That they’re coming here?” he continued. Peter responded with a reluctant nod. Which caused the other boy’s eyes to widen. He then started to shake his head and repeating the words ‘no’ under his breath. He then grabbed from Peter’s suited arms, and started speaking to him frantically.

“You can’t bring them here!” he whispered afraid. “If they find out about us, we’ll be put in jail!”

“What?” Peter asked, confused by the reaction. “No one’s going to put you in jail.”

“Yes they will!” he cried desperately. “They’re going to take us and then when they find out who we are, they’ll deport us back and then we’re all going to die because they’re after us too!”

Peter watched the scared teen, flabbergasted, and asked quietly, “What do you mean? Who are you guys?”

The teen didn’t respond. Instead he brought his hand out, palm open to the sky. Peter almost asked if he was waiting for a low five when a spark suddenly came to life in his open hand. Peter tensed as an orb of flame materialized, floating harmlessly above his skin. Peter stared at the fireball and to the teen who had a frightened expression on his face.

“We can’t go back,” he whispered mournfully, tears springing in his eyes. “We just can’t.”

And then Peter realized.

Refugees. Enhanced refugees. He forgot that he wasn’t just dealing with plain old human trafficking. They were people who had to get smuggled just so they could leave their home countries. These were people who were running for their lives from their _own nations._ These were people who faced death at home and possible harm overseas. These people needed help and approached the only one who could provide safe passage. Through illegal means using the mob.

Peter felt bile climb up his throat at the realization, the sensation staying even after the kid left to join the rest of the group.

 _“Peter,”_ Karen suddenly spoke up, breaking through the haze in his mind, _“your heart rate suddenly spiked. What’s wrong?”_

“Karen. I need help.” Peter answered quietly. “I’m gonna- gonna need a lot of help.”

_“Is it because of what the young man said?”_

Peter gave his affirmation in a small voice.  

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I don’t know how I’m gonna help them,” he answered honestly. “I didn’t think this through.”

He could hear MJ’s question from earlier resonate in his mind.

_Are you gonna stop them?_

Peter didn’t know the answer to that. He only knew that if he let the police come, they would take the group and question them. That their status as enhanced would be revealed. That they would face both the justice system of two countries who both agree that to the restrictions on the rights of enhanced individuals. And then they would be deported back to their original countries. And they would be all alone to face the consequences.

Oh God, he realized, he was sending them to their death.

“ **Spider-man?”** Venom asked, appearing from shadows on silent steps. Peter was turned to the alien, and saw that he didn’t have a smile on his face. In fact, his eyebrows were scrunched together, and he had a frown marring his features. Venom continued asking, wearing that strange expression, “ **Are you okay?”**

Was he okay?

“No,” he answered quiet and honest. “I’m not okay.”

“ **Why is that? What’s wrong?”** Venom asked softly. **“We could sense your distress from far away.”**

And because Peter was bad at feelings, he decided to forestall telling his inner turmoil.

“You sensed me? What, like you could smell me or something?”

**“Actually we could just tell by the way you were standing. Something is wrong and it is bothering you greatly.”**

Damn observant alien. He turned to Venom and stared at the white eyes who, that he now realized, were looking at him in concern. He debated whether he should talk to the alien about it but a loud cry of joy from the crowd and the sight of the teen shifting nervously at his feet causes guilt to spike through Peter.

“I-,” he stuttered, gulping a bit of air before continuing in a shaky breath, “I don’t know what to do.”

 **“What do you mean?”** was Venom’s confused reply.

“These people,” Peter gestured to the group, “they were trying to escape.”

**“Escape from what?”**

“From their own country trying to kill them.”

He then turns to Venom and speaks in a voiced laced with guilt.

“They’re all enhanced individuals. Illegal enhanced individuals who just wanted to live. And I think I just sent them to their deaths.”

**“You’re overdramatic. You did not send them to their deaths.”**

Peter turned to the alien with unbelieving eyes, reflected by the widening of his own mask eyes.

“Did you not hear what I just said? They are literally refugees seeking asylum because their own government wants to kill them!” he said wildly. “I just put them in jeopardy because no one is going to take care of them!”

 **“The police will handle this.”** Venom tried comfortingly. Peter didn’t agree.

“No!” he cried. “They’re not going to take care of this. They’re just going to arrest them and ship them back to where they came from!”

 **“If you didn’t act, then they would either be dead right now or probably working for the same guys that we just took out.”** Venom told him, voice calm yet growling and strangely comforting. He then gestured to the happy crowd and the webbed up bad guys and said, “ **This is a better alternative to them.”**

“...how can you be sure?” Peter asked quietly. Venom looked at him with those large white eyes and, for a moment, Peter felt something almost warm was in his gaze.

 **“Because you’re Spider-man,”** Venom answered simply. **“You won’t let these people be in danger. Whether it’s here or in other places, you’ll do your best to help them.”**  

The sentiment was surprisingly genuine and sweet, and left Peter staring at the alien in a mix of surprise, confusion, and pure affection.

“Why are you so sure about that?” Peter asked.

Venom gave him a smile, still filled with sharp teeth, yet somehow filled with the same genuine warmth from before.

**“Because we believe you can.”**

 

* * *

 

 

Peter stared from his perch high above as the police did their business in the dock below. The place was now lit with lights from squad cars and assorted flood lights. Officers were arresting the different gangsters, who were now just hanging by thinner strings of web rather than the globs before. He’s had enough complaints from the NYPD about his webbing that they were willing to brand him ‘Public Enemy no. 1’ again.

As they busied themselves below, Peter was working himself into a worried frenzy. Would they notice, he thought. They were very thorough. They made sure that the police wouldn’t pick up anything. But it also made Peter worry if he just inadvertently pissed of whoever ran this operation. What if they came after them? Not that that was new to Peter, but what about the rest of the people? They didn’t have super strength and radioactive spider powers to protect them. What if-

 **“Relax spider,”** said Venom right beside him, less tense and more lounging, **“they won’t notice.”**

“But what if we missed something? I just can’t help but be nervous.”

 **“Don’t be. The fact that you managed to use an Avengers aircraft is enough reason for them to be safe,”** Venom answered confidently.

Peter deigned to comment on the fact that he wasn’t the one who controlled the unmanned plane, but Tony. After explaining the situation to Tony, he immediately sent a plane over. They were gonna handle it, Tony said over the phone as the hoverjet appeared. With a little help from Natasha and Fury, they were gonna set up the refugees in places far away from the police yet close enough so that they could be monitored in case something went wrong. Which felt really weird to Peter but it was better than jail time, and he was getting a little tired so he left most of the thinking to them.

The alien beside must have heard his thoughts, and maybe it could because it might have freaky alien powers, because he suddenly felt something pat him on the head. He turned to Venom and saw him grinning widely while he petted him like a dog.

 **“Relax little spider,”** Venom crooned. **“Everything will be alright.”** Venom’s large hand should have made for an awkward experience. Instead it was surprisingly comforting, all thing considered. Peter was even beginning to lean into the alien’s hand, which had Venom chuckling.

“I guess,” Peter relented, letting the soothing hand pet his worries away. “I’ll let the Avengers handle it.”

**“Yeah, you did your part. Now all you need to deal with is me.”**

This had Peter tensing.

“What do you mean?” he asked, turning to Venom, stance ready to attack. Venom simply lifted his hands in surrender.

**“I simply meant that what are you going to do since I know your secret.”**

Peter had a sudden panic attack that Venom was referring to his secret identity until he realized that, no it wasn’t his secret identity but the refugees they were hiding. He gave Venom a searching look, who responded by opening his arms wider, trying to reveal his body.

“What are you gonna do with the information?” Peter asked honestly. Venom hummed deeply and stared directly at Peter, before answering.

**“Nothing. We have no use for it.”**

Peter smiled under his mask.

“Then I don’t see anything wrong with letting you go.”

Venom looked at Peter in curiosity, and maybe a bit of wonder.

 **“Just like that?”** he asked. **“You’re not even going to try and question me?”**

“Something tells me that that’s gonna be a hard thing to do.”

He finally stood up, dusting the pants of his suit, turned to Venom and thrust out a hand.

“Besides, I can trust you to keep a secret right?” Peter smiled the smile that made his eyes crinkle, which was echoed by his mask. Venom simply stared at the offered hand, before grasping it gently with his own clawed on.

 ** **“Yes you can,”**** Venom replied with an honest smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand we're done with the chapter!!! I've already got the plans for the next one but I might have to get my bearings with the story first. Keep your eyes open for more!

**Author's Note:**

> YAY FOR VENOM INTRODUCTION!
> 
> Thanks for making it this far! Hope you had fun with the story! With that said, I'll try to finish the next chapter soon once I find a way to balance my life hahaha
> 
> Anyways, I recommend you look up the song that inspired the title and the story. And if it doesn't make sense how this story is inspired by the song, just wait. It'll make sense in future chapters.


End file.
